Local Realtor known as 'Everyday Marcy' went out swinging

If there was even a second of time in the day to accomplish something, Marcy Broden would do it.

Known as “Everyday Marcy,” the longtime Framingham area Realtor was a marvel for the consistency she took in both her career and in her athletic pursuits.

Broden, who died on Aug. 4 at the age of 71 of ovarian cancer, cut a memorable figure across the multiple communities she served.

Broden spent decades working in real estate across MetroWest, working from 1980 to 2016, when she retired and moved to Florida with her husband, Clark.

Clark described Marcy as a “unique” personality: an experienced, logical professional personality combined with an inquisitive and caring persona.

The hard truth in a nice way

“Marcy was such a unique person. She had street smarts, she had common sense, and she would tell it like it was,” Clark said. “At the same time, she was very caring and really wanted people to be better.

"She would tell you the hard truth, but she always did it in a nice way and it was because she had high expectations and she always wanted you to be a better version of yourself.”

Broden won many local and national real estate awards related to her career as a Realtor, first working with Fafard Real Estate in Ashland and then at ERA Key Realty in Framingham.

Broden's most famous client

Broden’s career highlight was in 1997 when she sold the Framingham home of Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens, who had signed with the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season.

Nelson Zide, a co-worker of Broden’s at ERA Key Realty, said that Broden was a wonderful colleague and one of the best real estate agents in the area.

“Marcy was a fabulous Realtor, one of the top performers in the company ,” Zide said. “She got along very well with everyone, everyone loved her. I never heard anyone say a bad thing about her.”

Avid golfer had seven holes in one

While Broden’s image as a realtor may have got her face known around town, for those who knew her, her top passion was athletics, particularly golf and tennis. An ace golfer who reportedly had seven career holes in one, Broden was well-known at Highfields Golf and Country Club in Grafton.

“We had a pretty competitive golf league here, and on weekends there maybe would be 40 to 50 men and only one to two women, and Marcy was always one of the women,” Connor Hibbard, director of golf at Highfields, said.

Hibbard said that he partnered with Broden on a few occasions during competitive play, and found her skill level to be high and her personality charming.

“She was quite a good golfer, we actually were able to win the tournament on one occasion,” Hibbard said. “We have some bad players and some quite good players, and Marcy was often one of the better players, she was a pleasure to ride with and had a great personality.”

Played golf as long as she was able

Clark Broden said that Marcy’s determination to play golf every day was truly evident during her battle with cancer, as she continued to play on a regular basis despite the struggles she was facing as her health began to fade.

“A few weeks before she passed, she was still playing 18 holes, multiple times per week, in the Florida sun where it was 95 degrees every day,” Clark Broden said. “Just a few days before she died, she played six holes of golf.”

Broden was also a recognized tennis player, having been a former member at the Natick Racquet Club and the Sudbury River Tennis Club in Framingham.

Making connections through sports

Zide said that Broden’s regular involvement in athletics and other community activities aided her in her career, as those kinds of interactions are critical to establishing valuable connections in reality.

“When you do things like playing golf, playing tennis, and other community events, that is how you meet people, and you show them that you are somebody that they want to do business with,” Zide said. “When people get to know you, they find you likable and they want to work with you. Marcy was always active and that helped her business because people were meeting her and they loved her.”

While Broden never had children of her own, she had a strong relationship with her step-children, and Clark Broden said that what Marcy loved the most was her grandchildren.

“She absolutely loved those kids, she adored them and was like a second mother to them. She couldn’t do enough for them,” Clark Broden said.

A funeral was held for Broden in Florida were she had been living, and the family will  host a celebration of life this Saturday at the Marlborough Country Club for local residents to remember Broden’s life.

The family requests that donations be made in Marcy's name to the Mass Golf Youth Fund at www.massgolf.org/donate or make a check payable to Massachusetts Golf Association and mail to Mass Golf, 300 Arnold Palmer Blvd., Norton, MA 02889.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Remembering Framingham Realtor Marcy Broden, avid golfer