MARY CLAIRE BALLOU

Our dear friend Mary Claire Ballou, 68, of Glen, N.H., passed away peacefully during the early morning hours on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023, after a courageous nine-month battle against ovarian cancer.

She was born on Dec. 24, 1954, to John J. and Dorothy Cronin, grew up in St. Gregory’s Parish in Dorchester, Mass., and was a graduate of Suffolk University in Boston. For many years, she worked as a service representative with the New England Telephone Company and as an Instructional Aide for the Shrewsbury Public Schools. After retiring, she supported her community, volunteering for Angels & Elves and teaching CCD at Our Lady of the Mountains Parish.

Mary Claire will be remembered by so many as caring, friendly, funny, dedicated, strong and brave. She was well known for her gregarious way of connecting with whomever she met. She was always proud of her Irish roots and had the gift of gab even before kissing the Blarney Stone.

She found joy with her toes in the sand, most often with the gals down by lifeguard Chair 7 at West Dennis Beach. She loved finding bargains not only for herself, but for others, and would often surprise her family with outfits she had found on clearance.

Mary Claire was a lifelong Red Sox fan, and she practically grew up in Fenway Park. When her daughter married a Phillies fan, she got satisfaction from mailing her husband a broom when the Sox swept the Phillies. When her grandson Thomas became a Phillies fan, she showed how family came first by watching Phillies games so she could talk about the games with her grandson and strengthen her connection with him.

Mary Claire loved reading and was involved with several book groups, and she enjoyed connecting with her friends through books. She also enjoyed traveling, both internationally and in the United States. Some of her favorite places to explore were Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Family was at the center of Mary Claire’s life. She would always say “Life is good” when her family and friends were with her, when she was planted on the beach or enjoying a home cooked meal. She took the battle with ovarian cancer one day at a time, reminding us, “It is what it is.” Her final goal was to stave off the advancing cancer long enough to be able sit on her favorite beach one more time.

Mary Claire is survived by her beloved husband and best friend of 47 years, William C. Ballou; her daughter Caroline Ballou, her son-in-law, Craig Panzer, and her grandchildren, Thomas and Norah Panzer, who were the lights of her life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Paulist Center at 5 Park St. in Boston on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Paulist Center Boston.

ED GOOD

A brief note to mark a long ans storied life. The family alerted our community that Ed Good, our wryly  humorous friend, fly fisherman, golfer and wood-turner/bowl-maker extraordinaire, died recently. Until a few years ago, he made his home in our community in a house on Rte 16 facing Mt Washington. He was dearly loved and will be deeply missed. He had moved to Massachusetts to be closer to his immediate family in more navigable surroundings. As we learn any updated information, we will share it. Meanwhile, his beloved wife was honored by Ed with a granite bench up at the Great Glen trails, and we’re sure that Ed would appreciate sojourners pausing at her bench to remember them both and share some stories.

GORDON WOOD

The family has informed us that Gordon Wood died. At the request of Barbe and the family, Rev Gail visited him while he was actively dying. The staff at Mountain View was attentive, keeping him company, holding his hand, ‘wetting his whistle’ and murmuring affectionate words to him in his final hours.

While the family will prepare a bio, here is 2015 Conway Daily Sun article about Gordon Wood and our beloved Barbe Brown, his longtime friend and partner, who now lives in Florida near her extended family. If we offered any updated information, we will pass it along.

Glen couple share zest for travel, life together

“They don’t ski anymore, but they’re active as ever as valley volunteers and world travelers.

“We met in 1997 at the chairlift on the South Slope at Cranmore when we were both volunteering for the Eastern Slope Ski Club’s Junior Program,” notes Gordon Wood, who at 86 is two years older than his longtime companion, Barbara Browne.

Barbara (known as Barbie to her friends) says Gordon told her she should “get some updated shapes,” meaning that she should trade in her vintage “straight stick” skis for some newer parabolic shaped skis.

The straight sticks still hang in her garage in Glen. Barbara stopped downhill skiing a few years ago, but she keeps her snowshoes ready to go. Gordon stopped at age 80 or so.

“It’s too easy skiing on the new shaped skis — we gave it up!” he quipped.

But they remain active in the community, far more than many people half their age. In addition to volunteering for the Junior Program, they used to serve as weekend Cranmore ambassadors.

They also have volunteered at the Settlers’ Crossing information office for the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce. Barbara also has been active with the Appalachian Mountain Club’s seasonal Elderhostel programs, serving as a cross-country ski tour guide in the woods. The two also assist Starr Moore as volunteers at the New England Ski Museum’s annual Hannes Schneider Meister Cup at Cranmore every March.

“We’re not retired — we can’t seem to find the time to retire. We are retirees involved and having fun in this wonderful Mount Washington Valley,” laughed Barbara with her typical wit and good humor in a joint interview leading up to the Conway Daily Sun’s Love in the Sun series, running daily through Feb. 14 this week as part of the paper’s annual Valentine’s Day celebration.

Always sociable, Gordon and Barbara are regulars at every MWV Chamber After Hours monthly get-together.

“We like to know what’s going on. We love meeting new people, especially all the young entrepreneurs. It keeps us up to date,” said Barbara, adding, “We’re older, so it’s good being with active people.”

Said Gordon, a retired mechanical engineer from Massachusetts: “It rubs off on you. Plus it’s great to win the prizes. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I won a six-pack of Tuckerman’s that I keep in the refrigerator. And Barbara won a stay at a hotel.”

“I’m going to give that gift to my nieces when they come here to visit,” Barbara said.

As a girl, Barbara attended Fryeburg Academy as a dorm student, and that served as her first introduction to the area. Later, she worked in Massachusetts as an executive administrator for a well-known economist. She and her former husband bought land, and after they parted company, she built a house in which she has lived in for 30 years.

A former member of the Melrose Hickory Hawks Ski Club, Gordon began skiing at Cranmore in 1949-50 and remembers meeting skimeister Hannes Schneider once at the Oxen Yoke that was then run by the Ostermaiers. One of his other claims to fame? He was the one-billionth car through the Hampton tollbooth on March 15, 1989. “I got a bunch of tokens, along with coffee and doughnuts,” he related with a laugh.

He and his wife were married for 30 years. They moved to the valley from Wakefield, Mass., in 1975. His wife was eight years younger than he and was 58 when she died in 1995. He met Barbara two years later at Cranmore.

Together now for 17 years, Barbara and Gordon share a a love of travel because they love to experience new cultures.

“We learn a lot history of various countries, and we really enjoy that,” said Gordon, noting they have especially enjoyed their trips to Europe, including Italy and Malta. “We’re a relatively new country here; not like Europe and places like Germany.” Added Barbara, “It’s also about the people we meet.”

They are “people” people, loving a good story and meeting good people wherever they go. They had a great time, for instance, at the Gibson Center for Senior Services’ well-attended annual Valentine’s Auction at White Mountain Hotel on Feb. 5.

Barbara said Gibson Center Director George Cleveland “auctioned off a month’s and then a week’s worth of Meals on Wheels. That was just a great idea. He’s such a natural.”

Gordon frequents the Gibson Center lunches not only because the food is great but also for the camaraderie.

On a serious note, they also share a concern about inadequate facilities for seniors in the valley.”

They hope that leaders will bring to fruition such things as the abandoned proposal to build senior housing at the former Yankee Settlements site that is now planned for a shopping complex at the former North Conway drive-in theater behind Northway Plaza.

“The senior people of the valley need comfortable housing with garages. We do not want to leave the valley as we get older,” Barbara said. Added Gordon: “We seniors don’t want to have to cut grass or shovel snow as we get older. But we would hate to have to leave, too.”

“We love this valley. It has 12 seasons of things to do,” enthused Barbara, adding in an aside to Gordon, “C’mon, let’s go tubing at Cranmore!”

From ziplining at Wildcat and Cranmore’s Adventure Park to touring the world, Gordon and Barbara are never at a loss for fun ways to make the most of their active life together.