Mary M. Boulanger

Mary Manton Boulanger passed away peacefully at Littleton Regional Hospital on Saturday June 28th, after a period of declining health from Alzheimer’s disease. In the months leading up to her passing, she found comfort, friendship and wonderful care at Summit in Whitefield, NH. Mary had a multi-day celebration in late May for her 84th birthday, including extra-special visits from her dear friends and family.

Mary Anstis Manton was born on May 26, 1941, in Cohasset, MA where she grew up. She was active in sports, drama and chorus in high school, and developed her love of reading. She attended the University of Vermont where she met her first husband, and graduated in 1964. In the early 1970s, she moved to Piermont, NH, starting as a grade school teacher in Fairlee, VT, before moving to Littleton, NH where she held many different jobs to provide for her family and save for her first home. She extensively renovated the neglected 1910 house by herself, pulling up layers of linoleum and sanding floors, and transformed it into a beautiful home for her family.

Mary was the director of Lifelong Learning at Franconia College when it suddenly closed, and was thrilled to be hired at Profile High School, where she had a long career as an English teacher. She persevered through the chaos of the open classroom experiment and eventually became chair of the English Dept. “She was a tough yet fair teacher and saw things in her students we couldn’t see. She left a lasting marker on each of her students – a true reflection of her commitment.”

Lifelong learning was critical to Mary, and she was a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction throughout her life, with a particular interest in World War II and Winston Churchill. She impressively earned her master’s degree from Dartmouth College at the age of 54. She always spoke fondly of shaking the hand of President Bill Clinton the commencement speaker at her graduation.

Mary was an active and enthusiastic active member of the Littleton community. She served on the Energy Conservation Committee, was a Director at the Littleton Historical Society, a member and past Treasurer of the Littleton Garden Club, and served on the Planning Board.

Mary had a lifelong passion for outdoor activities and became an avid birder following her retirement from teaching. She was an active participant in the local NH Audubon Chapter since 1997, and hosted legendary Christmas Bird Count luncheons at her home. She traveled extensively to observe birds and expand her life list, joining birding tours in Peru, Bhutan, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, and Bulgaria. She had so much passion for birding that she had MOTMOT, one of her favorite bird species, emblazoned on her conservation license plate.

Mary was deeply affected by the long illness and eventual death of her son Douglas in 2023. Mary is survived by her husband of 40 years, Richard Boulanger; her children from her first marriage Jamie Ide and his wife Emily (Cassidy and Charlotte), daughter-in-law Carol Saunders (Jacob and Katherine), and daughter Susan Ide Caswell and her husband Taylor (Ellie and Joe). She is also survived by Richard’s children Steven and his wife Kathleen (Ethan and Seth) and David and his wife Mary (Kelsey).

A small celebration of life will be held at The Rocks in the Gallery on Thursday August 28th beginning at 2:00PM. The full address for the celebration of life location is: Forest Society North at The Rocks, 113 Glessner Road, Bethlehem, NH. If there are any questions, please contact Susan at ide.susan@gmail.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to New Hampshire Audubon at nhaudubon.org/donate or 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, NH 03301.