Mary K. MacLean

She was born Sept. 24, 1910 in Charlestown, MA, the daughter of John F. Murphy and Annie Addison. She was raised in Somerville, MA, where her father was a fireman and her mother was a homemaker.

She met her husband, Joseph I. MacLean, a veteran of the Marine Corps, at night school in the Boston area. They were married when she was 24 and he was 27. They had two children, John Francis and Carol Ann.

Mary worked as a hairdresser for many years in Plaistow, NH, and she and her husband owned a general store, first in Massachusetts and then in New Hampshire. She was very tidy and kept an immaculate home.

When Joseph retired as a salesman from the Sunshine Biscuit Company, the couple moved to their summer home in Alton Bay, NH. They bought, restored, and sold several homes in the Northwood area, always staying busy. They traveled to Ormand Beach, Fla., for many years for a winter vacation, but she never flew on a plane.

She lived the last few years of her life at the White Rock Senior Living Community in Bow, where she had many friends. She enjoyed playing cards and was very social. She was a prolific knitter and made hundreds of scarves, hats and vests for local shelters. She always had a knitting project at hand, even after she turned 100.

When asked the key to her long life, she said: "Stay busy, stay happy." She received the Boston Post Cane, as the oldest person in Bow, in March of 2010 when she was 99.

She was thrilled to reach 100 years of age, especially because she was healthy and of sound mind.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph; her two children, John and Carol; her grandson Scott MacLean; and all of her many brothers and sisters, including her beloved sister Alice who lived on Cape Cod.

Surviving are: seven grandchildren: Louann and Bobby Senter, Tammy Leroy, John, Joseph and Richard MacLean and Heather MacLean and her husband Brent Peters. She is also survived by 6 great grandchildren and 6 great great grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, May 26 at St. John the Evangelist Church. Interment will follow in Blossom Hill Cemetery.

The Bennett Funeral Home of Concord is in charge of the arrangements.