Mary Bidgood-Wilson, 71

MOULTONBOROUGH — Mary Bidgood-Wilson, a dedicated wife, loving mother, a beloved grandmother, a trusted sister, and a dear friend to many passed on Oct. 21, 2024, in her lakeside home surrounded by her family.

She is survived by her husband of 50 years Kenneth Wilson of Moultonborough; her daughter Kimberlie Mohan and her husband Patrick of Meredith; her sons Bradley and his wife Lisa of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and Brett Robert and his wife Chiara of Norwalk, Connecticut; five grandchildren, Patrick, Kaitlyn, Colin, Kenneth and Robert. Her family loved her deeply and will miss her dearly. 

Mary Bidgood-Wilson was at the forefront of the endeavor for professional autonomy and standing to grant nurse practitioners independence as primary care providers. In an era when physicians dominated medicine in the United States, the national campaign by nurse practitioners for full autonomy and pay equity was a long and arduous battle. Equity came earlier to New Hampshire than it did elsewhere in the country because of Mary’s efforts. She was a pioneer, a fighter and so much more. 

An advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), a family nurse practitioner, a certified nurse midwife, an entrepreneur, and a civic leader in the Lakes Region for more than 40 years, Mary died after a hard-fought battle with bile duct cancer. She was 71 years old.

In her decades of practice, she delivered hundreds of babies as a certified nurse midwife and counseled thousands of patients as a family nurse practitioner. Her care of patients often spanned generations, helping the same women she delivered bring life into the world themselves. Her career elevated the profile of APRNs in the delivery of primary medical care and midwifery services.

Mary’s dedication to her patients, profession and colleagues did not stop at the end of the office visits. She embraced difficult political and economic tasks, chairing and serving on multiple committees for the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioners Association (NHNPA), focusing on access to care. In her role of chairperson of the organization’s Committee on Third Party Reimbursement, she often said that winning pay equity for nurse practitioners from Medicaid was tantamount to “delivering my fourth child.” When nominated for one of the many public service awards she received in her career, a former colleague noted that “nursing leaders from other states look to Mary Bidgood-Wilson because she and New Hampshire have set precedent.”

An active parent and a committed volunteer, Mary served on many boards including the Moultonborough School District, Cancer Society of Carroll County and the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation. Always ready to tackle the next challenge, she traveled to Haiti following the disastrous 2010 earthquake to provide health care to mothers and newborns. Even her retirement from professional practice at age 65 was short-lived. When COVID-19 sent the country into lockdown in 2020, she returned to the front lines. She had her license reinstated to administer vaccines throughout New Hampshire. “I worked harder during COVID than I had in years,” she said, “but I would have felt guilty had I stayed home and not helped during a public health emergency.”

She was often the first on the scene whenever a health challenge confronted a friend or a family member, offering support, advice and even a medical referral if needed. To her neighbors, she provided constant inspiration, propelling them from their armchairs whenever they saw Mary power walking along their dirt road, hiking the nearby hills or racing across Greens Basin in her kayak or on her paddle board.

The oldest of eight children of William John Bidgood (deceased) and Helen Jean (McCabe) Bidgood (deceased), Mary was born in Rutland, Vermont, on April 1, 1953, and grew up in Hudson and Melrose, Massachusetts.

In addition to her husband, children and grandchildren, she is survived by her six brothers and her sister; William John Bidgood Jr. and his wife Maureen of Melrose, Massachusetts, Elizabeth A. Curnane of Melrose, Massachusetts, Paul F. Bidgood and his wife Patricia of West Boylston, Massachusetts, James B. Bidgood of Saugus, Massachusetts, Peter D. Bidgood and his wife Lori of Melrose, Massachusetts, Andrew M. Bidgood and his wife Allison of Atkinson, New Hampshire, and George M. Bidgood and his wife Kerri of Melrose, Massachusetts; and many nieces and nephews. 

She received a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of the State of New York, a certificate in nurse midwifery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a certificate as a family nurse practitioner from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in perinatal health from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Elected as a fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives in 1997, she was part of the faculty at School of Nursing at Boston University, Yale University and the University of New Hampshire and on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Medical Malpractice Joint Underwriting Association.

A former executive director of the NHNPA, Mary received that organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 for recognition of her years of clinical work and legislative advocacy on behalf of her patients and her profession. In 2024, the NHNPA established a leadership training fund in her name to cultivate the next generation of health care leaders in New Hampshire. “Her commitment to ensuring that all patients have access to the providers and the health care experiences of their choice was matched by her dedication to ensuring that APRNs have access to meaningful and valued careers,” the organization noted.

Mary relished her roles as a daughter and sister and carried that familial spirit through as a wife, mother, and grandmother. While she spent hundreds of nights “on call” tending to emergencies caring for her patients, she was always on call for her family and friends. She perhaps had her greatest impact on those closest to her and given her professional prowess, that is quite a statement. Mary was always present and engaged in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Never wanting to miss a moment or let life’s simple pleasures of time with family and friends pass her by, she was always ready to make a trip or host a party. Ever the eternal optimist and fair-weather forecaster; Mary spent warm days on the lake — paddle boarding, waterskiing, or kayaking, and on cold days cruising downhill or cross country. If life is spent trying to ensure that the world is a better place when one leaves, Mary can rest easy.

A public Memorial Community Gathering has been planned at Geneva Point Center in Moultonborough from noon to 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. Planned remarks will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. All are welcome.

A donation in her memory to the MBW Leadership Fund at the NHNPA can be made by visiting NHNPA.org/MBW-Leadership-Fund. For flower contributions please call The Boro’s Floral Boutique, 603-253-7651.

Arrangements are under the care of Mayhew Funeral Homes and Crematorium. To sign the online book of memories, visit mayhewfuneralhomes.com.