Muriel Hayden

Muriel G. Hayden (formerly Muriel Green) passed peacefully on January 23, 2026, at age 94 in Springfield, MA, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. Muriel earned B.S and M.Ed degrees from Brooklyn College. She met the love of her life, her husband of 44 years, Solomon Hayden, in 1963, and they wed five months later. She was the primary breadwinner for her family, as her husband Sol lost his sight in 1969. Together they enjoyed Operas, Classical Concerts, Broadway Shows, Theater, and Summer Travel around the world. Muriel had a great passion for Art. She loved painting in oil and acrylic, learning about art history, and visiting Art Museums. She would often paint from photos she took on her many travels overseas. She also enjoyed exercise classes, walking, and spending time with her family. "Mrs. Hayden," as her students knew her, was a committed, talented, and much-loved NYC Public School 1st grade teacher for 26 years. She was an inspirational teacher who had an enormous impact on her students of whom she first had to teach the English language first and then their coursework. Muriel retired from teaching in 1994 and took many trips to foreign countries with Sol. Among the many places they traveled by plane and cruise ship were the pyramids in Egypt, the Holy Land in Israel, the Great Wall in China, the Parthenon in Greece, the Canals in Italy, and the Glaciers in Alaska. Muriel was born and lived in Brooklyn, NY until 2006, when she and Mr. Hayden moved to Chicopee, MA, to watch her grandchild, MacKenzie (Smith) Cragg grow up as well as to be closer to her youngest daughter, Stacy Hayden Smith and her son in law, Timothy Smith. She was so proud to be able to see her granddaughter Mackenzie’s life unfold from its beginning through adulthood, marriage, and becoming pregnant with her first great grandchild, expected in March. She was predeceased by her husband Sol, her brother Maurice of St. Louis, MO, and her sisters Clair and Sue of Brooklyn, NY. She is survived by her daughter, Allyson Hayden of Yonkers, NY, her daughter and son in law, Stacy & Tim Smith of West Springfield, MA, and her granddaughter, Mackenzie (Smith) Cragg and her husband, Colin Cragg of Norwood, NY, and many of her children's cats and dogs. There will be a private service in Long Island, NY. New England Funeral & Cremation Center, 25 Mill Street, Springfield, MA, has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please visit Muriel's memorial page at www.nefcc.net to share expressions of sympathy.

Donations for Parkinson’s Disease can be made in Muriel Hayden’s name at: https://give.michaeljfox.org/campaign/754697/donate?c_src=smcidoc-a1bVL000006FbIL&utm_source=pmax&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax_Display_US_Fundraising_Q2FY25_May2025&utm_term=int_healthcharityinterests_us_18o_a&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22531189137&gbraid=0AAAAADvg9V9FS3ZZOXJC-DK_TVsKcslPj