Sister M. Adelaide (Mary D.) Oliver, 87, a Sister of Mercy for 69 years, a native of Keene, New Hampshire, died Wednesday, January 30, 2013, at the Warde Health Center in Windham, New Hampshire, after a period of declining health. A native of Keene, New Hampshire, she was the daughter of Joseph and Julia (Shea) Oliver.
Sister Adelaide held a B.S. degree in business from Mount St. Mary College in Hooksett, New Hampshire, and an M.Ed. in business education from Boston University. For more than 20 years she was a teacher at Catholic schools in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and California. She taught at St. Joseph School in Manchester, and St. Ann School in Gloucester, Massachusetts. When the community opened schools in California, she volunteered to teach first at Mary Immaculate School in Pacoima, then at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Newhall.
After Sister Adelaide returned to New Hampshire, she served for 21 years at the former Castle College in Windham as instructor, financial aid director, and finally part-time secretary. From 1990-2002, she was a volunteer with the Greater Manchester AIDS Project. In 1994, she was honored by the New Hampshire AIDS Foundation for outstanding volunteer service in the HIV/AIDS community in the state of New Hampshire. At a World AIDS Day celebration in 2001, the Diocese of Manchester HIV/AIDS Committee, on which she served for seven years, honored her for her “selfless work and dedication in assisting our brothers and sisters with AIDS.”
Sister Adelaide is survived by her Mercy community. She was predeceased by two brothers, Joseph and Daniel Oliver.
Friends may call at the Warde Health Center, 21 Searles Road, Windham, N.H., from 9:30-11 AM. on Tuesday, February 5, 2013. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 AM the chapel. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bedford, NH
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 21 Searles Road, PO Box 420, Windham, NH 03087-0420.
Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St, Salem, NH has care of the arrangements. To send a message of condolence, please view the obituary at www.douglasandjohnson.com