Mary Hopkins of Londonderry, New Hampshire died of natural causes on Oct. 19, 2017 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Mary, the oldest of Robert and Marcella Hogan’s eight children, was born on July 10, 1934 in Iowa. She grew up on a 300-acre corn farm in the town of Jesup. At the age of 18, she left the farm and entered the convent as a Catholic nun. Mary was a Catholic School teacher in Chicago and New York City until 1968. In 1967, she met Robert Hopkins, also a Catholic School teacher and a monk himself. They had been assigned to teach Sunday school together in New York City. They were engaged on December 8, 1967 and married on Aug. 10, 1968. They spent 49 years by one another’s side. Mary raised three children with Robert: Patrick, Craig, and Colleen.
Mary’s life was devoted to service, social justice, and peace. She was an activist in the Civil Rights and Peace Movements of the 1960’s. As an educator, these values were central to her teaching. She taught hundreds of kids over the course of a career that spanned five decades. After marrying Bob, she taught in public schools and ended her career teaching 30 years in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The final years of her life were dedicated to her six grandchildren, whom she loved dearly. She is survived by her grandchildren, her three children, six of her siblings, and her husband, Robert.
For those wishing to pay their respects, Bob will be hosting a gathering in the community room on the second floor of the apartment he shared with Mary on Oct. 28 from 12 – 2 p.m. The address is 553 South Commercial Street, Manchester, NH. There will be a memorial in June or July 2018.