Marie T. Hudson of Hampton Bays died on Tuesday, October 3. She was 87.
Hudson was a longtime resident of Hampton Bays, where she raised her eight children with her husband Edward. In addition to being a full-time mom, she handled the bookkeeping and office work of her husband’s architecture firm, and was a successful business owner herself.
Always an avid needlecrafter, she was a true artist (though she would shy away from that term, as she was extremely modest about her talent), and could knit, crochet and cross-stitch projects of the most intricate designs, her family said. She took great joy and comfort in her craft and stitched to her last day, often expressing gratitude that she could continue to stitch because it kept her hands and mind active. There was always a project in progress, and there were more waiting in the wings to begin.
In 1975, Hudson fulfilled a dream of opening a yarn store on Main Street in Hampton Bays called the Rainbow Yarns and Needlecraft Shoppe. She moved the shop to Ponquogue Avenue to the building she and her husband built, and ran her business for over 40 years. She helped countless crafters learn to cross-stitch, knit and crochet, to name only a few of the crafts she mastered. She was an expert at choosing just the right yarn and thread color combinations, and the perfect frame for all kinds of projects.
She was predeceased in 2019 by her husband Edward, to whom she was married for 64 years; and her daughter, Linda, in 1990.
She is survived by her seven children and their families, Michael Hudson (Pamela) of East Hampton, Maria Smith (William) of Southampton, Edward Hudson (Patricia) of Cutchogue, Frank Hudson of Hampton Bays, Suzanne Hudson (Richard Grogan) of Hyde Park, Vermont, Christina Schauder (Fred) of Greenwich, Connecticut, and Lori Spellman (Tim) of Southampton; 12 grandchildren, Alex, Trevor, Diana, Kyle, Christian, Danielle, Shannon, Gillian, Kevin, Emma, Lindsay, Avery; and her great-granddaughter, Sophia.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Scott-Rothwell Funeral Home in Hampton Bays. A memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, October 7, at 9 a.m. at the Church of St. Rosalie in Hampton Bays.