Mary Remensnyder

Mary Baldridge Remensnyder died peacefully surrounded by her loving family on December 28, 2023 in Exeter New Hampshire. She was 91.

Mary was born in Providence Rhode Island to Dr. and Mrs. Robert Baldridge and was the second of their three children. She grew up happily ensconced in daily life there with weekly suppers at Angelo’s, sledding on the hillside next to Benefit Street after snow storms, and studying at Lincoln School. 

She later attended Mount Holyoke College graduating from there in 1954 majoring in Political Science. That same year she married John Remensnyder who at the time was earning his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. After John’s medical internships and residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital they lived in Wellesley Massachusetts where they began raising their three children: Amy, Stuart and Margaret. In 1967 they moved from Wellesley to Newton Massachusetts where they settled and remained until 2005. 

Throughout their fifty two years of marriage Mary and John had much to be grateful for: a close knit family, lifelong friendships, quiet weekends in their cabin in Vermont which they had built with close friends, regularly attending concerts at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and traveling widely from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Puerto Rico, Armenia, Israel, and Jamaica to most of Europe. Much of their travel was medically orientated as John brought his medical expertise as a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston unit of the Shriners Hospitals to some of the world’s most pressing situations. 

While still raising their children Mary went back to school at Boston College and earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education and subsequently taught at The Beaver Country Day School and Fessenden School. In 2005 Mary and John moved to a retirement community in Exeter New Hampshire and one year later in 2006 Mary was tragically widowed. So, with fortitude she began to carve a new life for herself in the community. She served on the Voter Information Committee, which hosted political candidates, and introduced authors in a program called “Back to Books.” 

A lifelong avid reader she always had a book by her side. Gravitating to non-fiction her interests were wide: history, nature, politics, memoir, travel, zoology and combinations of these. Mary also enjoyed long morning walks, playing bridge, hosting dinner parties, and The Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. True to her nature of loving a good discussion, even in illness, she discussed politics with a caregiver and who with bereft exclaimed when learning of her death “Who am I going to talk about politics with?”. 

A lover of hot fudge sundaes, apple pie, road maps, democratic politics, and Reuben sandwiches, Mary was playful, brave, compassionate, wise and thoughtful. She will be dearly missed. 

Mary was predeceased by her husband John Remensnyder, sister Barbara Wood, and brother Robert Baldridge. She is survived by her three children: Amy Remensnyder and her wife Linda Heuman of Providence Rhode Island; Stuart Remensnyder and his wife Nicole Laurencelle and their two children, Madalyn Remensnyder and Benjamin Remensnyder of Amherst Massachusetts; and Margaret Remensnyder and her husband Kevin Beaulieu of Melrose Massachusetts.