María de los Angeles Caminos-Medina, 79, of Londonderry, NH passed away Monday, March 15, 2021 surrounded by her family. She was born September 13, 1941 in San Salvador, El Salvador. She was the youngest daughter of the late Roberto and Carmen (Lopez) Caminos. María moved to the US in 1953 at the age of 12, where she attended Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. Living in Massachusetts for decades, María and her husband Edgard relocated to Londonderry in 1992, where they lived happily for the rest of her life.
Emmy-award-winning producer and television host María worked for CBS affiliate WNEV-Boston where she created, produced, and hosted the first Spanish language television talk show in New England. She also worked as a translator at the Massachusetts State House before becoming one of the highest ranking Latinas in the federal government, retiring from her 28-year career as the Equal Employment Opportunity Officer and Civil Rights Director for the US DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.
María’s most loved pastime was anything that involved spending time with her family and friends. She looked forward to her annual infamous Easter celebrations, preparing all year by making cascarones to smash on the heads of willing party-goers. María loved to travel, especially to El Salvador and Colombia to reunite with family. María also enjoyed singing in her church choir, and playing cards and dominoes into the wee hours of the morning. An avid music lover, María is known for randomly grabbing a microphone at any wedding to perform her rendition of La Bamba, or joining in with Maríachi bands at all family parties, where the tequila flowed generously.
María is survived by her husband of 34 years, Edgard Medina of Londonderry, children Rosemarie Kelly and her husband John of Windham; Robert Dowd of Londonderry; Gerald Dowd and his wife Amanda of Chicago; Marguerite Monahan and her husband Christopher of Boston and Medway, MA; her grandchildren Thomas and Brian Dowd, Meaghan and Delaine Kelly, Joseph and Truman Dowd, and Aidan and Julia Monahan; great-grandchild Jackson Dowd; three sisters, Clara Caminos de Quiñonez, Evelyn Caminos de Sol and Rose Marie Caminos de Calvo; and beloved nieces and nephews, many of whom looked at María as a second mother. María was predeceased by her son John C. Dowd, lll; grandchildren Charlotte and Nora Dowd; sister Carmen Caminos-Poor and brother Roberto Caminos.
A walk-through wake will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Peabody Funeral Homes & Crematorium, 15 Birch Street Derry, NH. A private Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Litchfield, NH. Due to State of NH guidelines, all guests are required to wear masks, minimize contact, and maintain social distancing.