Mary L. Bush

Mary L Bush, of Marvin Road, Moultonborough, died on Friday, Nov. 23 at Lakes Region General Hospital, following several years of declining health due to Alzheimer’s disease. She was born in Falmouth, MA on March 25, 1922, the daughter of Sumner and Orpha (Swift) Lawrence. She was graduated from Lawrence High School, Falmouth, and studied nursing at Simmons College, Women’s and Children’s Hospital and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. She married Thomas A. Bush, Jr. in June 1944. As the wife of a career Naval Officer, she moved frequently, raising her family in many different parts of the United States. Prior to their retirement to Moultonborough in 1978, she worked as a real estate salesperson in southern New Hampshire and taught creative dramatics to elementary school children in Nashua. Mary was an talented and enthusiastic gardener and belonged to garden clubs throughout the country. Her gardens brought joy to family, friends and neighbors. She was active as a leader in the Campfire Girls of America in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif. and as an officer in the Junior Women’s Club of Amherst, N.H. More recently, she was an active member of the Friends of the New Hampshire Music Festival. Mary served as a Sunday school teacher at St. Thomas of Canterbury in Long Beach, CA and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Newport, R.I. She and her husband were founding members of St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Conway, N.H.; most recently she was a member of St. Michael’s in Holderness. She is survived by her husband, Cdr. Thomas A Bush, Jr., USN (Ret.) Of Moultonborough; two daughters, Ann Bush Garland of Saco, Maine and Dr. Nancy Lawrence Bush of Escondido, Calif. and a son, Christopher T. Bush of Fort Worth, Texas. Also surviving are her son-in-law, Charles P. Garland, a daughter-in-law, Laurie Bush, a grandson, Daniel C. Garland, and five granddaughters, Marion J. Ross, Jill L. Garland, Heather R. Ross, Leah E. Ross, and Samantha Bush. A memorial service will be held at St. Michael’s Church after the holidays and her ashes will be inurned at the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium in Annapolis.The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be considered to the New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.