Mary (aka Mollie) Elizabeth Martin (nee Beaudry) born July 31, 1932 in Portsmouth, NH, died quietly in her sleep in the early morning hours of April 20th. While the spring birds slowly awoke, and surrounded in love by her oldest daughter, Leilani and two of her grandchildren, Shane and Samara. Mary took her last breath and ventured forth on her greatest adventure.
Born the oldest child of Howard John Beaudry, Sr. and Ella Luzerne (Farrington) Beaudry, Mary was one of the "Silent Generation." Time magazine said of this generation "By comparison with the Flaming Youth of their fathers and mothers, [this] younger generation is a still small flame. It does not issue manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters." Mary certainly did none of that and never did quite understand activism. She lived her life stolidly, independently, and with perseverance and compassion. Her father was a Naval warrant officer and Mary found her childhood explored in several locations including Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Hawaii. She was a girl scout and a Rainbow Girl and attended Robert Fitch High School in Groton, CT. Shortly after graduation she enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps. It was there she would meet the father of her children, James M. Martin, Sr. who preceded her in death in November of 2000. Spending the early years of her marriage in South Carolina, North Carolina, and California, the family would eventually retire to Portsmouth, RI -- living first on Park Avenue and then moving to the house where Mary would spend the next 20 years on Turnpike Avenue. Mary spent many years as a school bus driver for the Portsmouth School Department. Known to her young passengers as Mrs. Martin she was firm and professional and carried hundreds upon hundreds of Portsmouth students to their studies at the old Elmhurst, Coggeshall and Anne Hutchinson elementary schools as well as Melville and Hathaway, the High School, and eventually the then-brand-spanking new Middle School. Her last run was the Aquidneck Island run picking girls up to go over to Our Lady of Fatima School in Warren. Leaving school bus driving behind Mary worked with Computer Sciences Corporation in Middletown for a short while before joining the NETC Police force as their first female officer. Graduating with honors from the RI Municiple Police Academy she was invited to become an auxiliary office with the Middletown Police Department as their first female officer, as well. After several years of patrol Mary took the job that she would spend the next 20+ years with - as the fire safety inspector and public educator for the NETC Fire Department in Newport, RI. She would remain with the Fire Department until her retirement at the age of 80. In her later years she spoke with pride and delight at being able to say that she had been through every single home in Naval Housing at some point, doing annual fire safety inspections -- and the only one she ever rushed through was the one with the escaped boa constrictor.
Mary could be a strict parent, but was eternally supportive, putting all three of her children through college and ensuring they had pretty much whatever they needed. During lean years she was a meticulous household budgeter and always managed to save for field trips, vacations, and special occasions. She taught us we could do anything we aspired to. If we were interested in a sport or activity she would find a way to get us involved, from football to fencing, music lessons to dance.
It wasn't until 2007 that she would finally realize her dream of home ownership and she spent her retirement on Alan Avenue in Portsmouth, gardening and sewing and feeding the birds (and squirrels). She enjoyed travel and wished she had been able to do more, but life always seemed to get in the way. However she took many cruises - in the Caribbean, to Nova Scotia, and several times on her favorite destination to Alaska. She was a member of the "Arctic Circle Club" having flown over the Artic Circle on one such cruise to Alaska. She drove across America several times (the last time at the age of 87, when she drove by herself from RI to WA to see two of her great grandchildren), took a mule ride to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and her last big trip was a three week extravaganza to England, Scotland, France, and Italy.
Mary enjoyed watching "Murder She Wrote," "NCIS," "Hawaii Five-O," "Fantasy Island," "McGiver" and a multitude of game shows. Her favorite screen crush was the late Jack Lord. Her musical taste was mostly in the easy listening genre - notably vocalists Eddy Arnold and Perry Como, but also many classic country singers and some 50s pop. She had an extensive collection of vinyl albums and even some 8 tracks still on the shelf when she passed away.
Mary was an adamant and loyal Ford driver and would never own anything other than a Ford, driving each car until it basically fell apart from age.
She loved every dog and cat she ever owned and even in her elder years she still spoke wistfully of her beloved Cocker Spaniel "Saturn" who died sometime in the early 1960’s.
Mary was preceded in death by her two brothers, Herbert Theodore Beaudry and Howard J. Beaudry, Jr. She is survived by her sister, Janice (Beaudry) Ashton, her son, James Martin Jr, daughters Heidi (Martin) Farrington and Leilani (Martin) Beaudry, her grandchildren - Elizabeth Agin, Patrick Agin, Morgana Agin, Shane Beaudry, Christopher Martin, and Samara Martin, great-grandchildren - Rowen Agin, Luther Agin, and Sully Martin, niblings Donnie Ashton, Karen Ashton, Don Ashton Jr, Jeff Ashton, Jennifer Beaudry-Levasseur and Jessica Beaudry-Tamulonis, and many many grand-niblings and cousins.
There will be a celebration of her life at the Middletown FOP lodge on Mitchell’s Lane, on April 30th from 11:00am to 1:30. Mary opted for cremation and final arrangements are being handled by South Coast Funeral Home in Fall River. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Mary's memory to the Potter League for Animals in Middletown.