Mary Roper Robertson, 90

GILFORD — Mary Roper Robertson, 90, beloved wife of 67 years, passed away peacefully at home after a brief illness on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. Her loving husband was by her bedside and her family arrived within several hours that evening.

Mary was the second-youngest child in a family of nine, born in Arlington, Massachusetts, to James and Alice (Killoren) Roper on Sept. 15, 1929. She was the last remaining member of her immediate Roper family.

Mary completed high school in Arlington, where she met her sweetheart and future husband, Colin Fraser Robertson. Mary was very active at Arlington High; she enjoyed swimming, dancing, and singing in the glee club. She had leading roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan productions of “H.M.S. Pinafore”, “Pirates of Penzance”, and “The Mikado”, and was voted “Most Musical” in the Who’s Who of the 1947 Arlington High School Yearbook.

Mary married her sweetheart on March 1, 1952, a few weeks prior to his deployment with the Marine Corps to Korea. She waited steadfastly near Camp Pendleton, California, for his return from combat. During that time, she worked at a local drive-in theater and enjoyed both the ocean and horseback riding. Upon his safe homecoming, they began their family of three children. Because Colin was to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, they moved back to Massachusetts, where Mary cared for their first-born son, as well as other neighboring children. She also worked as a receptionist at the nearby Howard Johnson. After Colin graduated from M.I.T., they moved back to California, where they lived for another 11 years, adding an additional son and daughter to their family.

When Colin’s father required care, the family returned to Massachusetts, where Mary completed an O.R. Technician program and was employed at Winchester Hospital for a number of years. In 1972, the family moved to the farm homestead in Gilford where she became deeply involved in the administration of their development business and Robertson Construction Co., Inc. This chapter of their lives included a tour of several years in Beijing, China, during the early 1980s, while Colin was the project manager within the construction and maintenance division of the U.S. State Department. During that time, Mary worked as an embassy receptionist and commissary manager.

Mary was an avid bridge player and a member of the Lilac Chorus for many years. She also established a small business, “Mary the Critter Sitter,” taking care of pets and sharing the love and compassion she always felt for all living things, including mice, raccoons, and ravens. More than anything, she cherished her family and the time they spent together.

Mary is survived by her husband, Colin Fraser Robertson of Gilford; a son, John, of Nashua; a son, James, and wife Cindy of Newtown, Connecticut; a daughter, Gail, and husband Tim of Springfield Center, New York; grandchildren William, Ashli, Colin, Forest, Elissa, Lindsay, and Evan; 11 great-grandchildren; a niece and nephew; numerous cousins; and many dear friends.

Services will be in the Spring of 2020 at the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, followed by interment at the New Hampshire State Veterans’ Cemetery in Boscawen.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959; or the N.H. Humane Society, PO Box 572, Laconia NH 03247.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.