Shrewsbury – Margaret A. (Kelley) Saba, of Shrewsbury, peacefully died Thursday, July 25, 2013 at Countryside Healthcare of Milford. Her family was at her side. She had spent the last three years of her life compassionately cared for and beloved by all the staff of Countryside.
She was born on March 15, 1921 in Norwood, the daughter of Syrian immigrants Michael and Mary (Deeb) Kelley. She and her two brothers, Hayes and Marty, attended Norwood High School. She always spoke fondly of growing up in Norwood and of her days at Norwood High, where she was head cheerleader and graduated in 1938 as the “most popular” student in her class.
In 1945, she married Frank (Doc) Saba, a Hall of Fame football player at Holy Cross and legendary player and coach while at Brockton High School. They settled in Brockton, where she raised four children, proudly started and operated Margaret's Hair and Color Design, and was active in town and state government, serving as a member of several city committees and becoming a key campaigner for several local and state politicians.
With boundless energy, she somehow also found time to drive three nights a week from Brockton to Fitchburg State College, where she earned a teaching degree with honors. When she and her husband moved to Shrewsbury after his retirement, she hardly slowed down at all and happily worked as a substitute teacher for many years in the Shrewsbury school system.
She had a natural soft spot for the underdog and the underappreciated, but she’ll be remembered above all for her passionate devotion to family and friends. With her marriage to Doc Saba, she became an enthusiastic and expert “football wife,” and for 50 years both cheered on and critiqued teams coached by her husband, her son Peter, and her son-in-law Tony Wood at Brockton High, St. John's of Shrewsbury, Bishop Feehan, and B.C. High. But, nothing pleased her more than cooking and entertaining at the family home at 40 Addison St. in Brockton, where she maintained a famous “open house” and received a non-stop stream of hers and her husband's friends and relatives as well as the high school and college classmates and friends of her four children. There was always a big party at 40 Addison St., hosted by Mags and Doc.
She leaves her children, Paul F. Saba of Boston, Francis M. “Frank” Saba and his wife Wendy of Shrewsbury, Peter F. Saba and his wife Jean of Scituate, and Denise M. Wood of Shrewsbury, and was the much loved grandmother to Sara, Jennifer and Katherine Saba, Peter and Julie Wood, and Paul and Owen Saba. She also leaves many beloved nieces and nephews. Her husband Frank died Sept. 8, 1998, and she was predeceased by her two brothers, Hayes and Marty Kelley, and her son-in-law, Tony Wood.
Family and friends will honor and remember Margaret's life by gathering for calling hours Thursday, Aug. 1, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Heald & Chiampa Funeral Directors ~ The Sumner House, 5 Church Road, On the Common, Shrewsbury Center. Funeral services and burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation, 14 Prospect St., Milford, MA 01757 or Countryside Healthcare Center, 1 Countryside Dr., Milford, MA 01757.
