Mary Katherine (Blackwood) Sherwood, 75, passed away at The Elliot Hospital, Manchester, NH, on December 18, 2020 from complications related to covid-19. Mary was born in Oak Ridge, TN, on July 7, 1945, to John C and Katherine (Jamison) Blackwood.
Mary grew up in Melrose, MA. After she graduated from Melrose High School in 1963, she attended Boston College. She graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Minor in Speech Communications. Mary married her high school sweetheart, Don Sherwood, on June 22, 1968. The two fell in love while going to church record hops and went on to be each other’s best friends and biggest cheerleaders throughout their marriage of 52 years. They resided in Nashua, NH.
Mary worked various jobs over the years and most enjoyed her work as a preschool teacher and teacher’s assistant at a local elementary school. She took the grief and pain of losing her 10-year-old son, Scott, in a drunk driving accident and channeled it productively as a co-founder of the Nashua chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). In this position she was instrumental in getting legislation passed to reduce the legal blood alcohol level in DUIs.
Mary participated in various charitable causes including the annual Cancer Fund Drive. She teamed with the Nashua Animal Shelter and local nursing homes to bring comfort and joy to residents by providing pet therapy. Mary’s favorite pastime was gardening and creating beautiful floral arrangements. She was a member of the Nashua Garden Club for many years. Mary was a communicant of St. Christopher Church in Nashua. Her greatest pleasure was spending time with her family.
Mary is predeceased by her parents, John C and Katherine Blackwood and by her son, Scott. Immediate family survivors include her husband and the love of her life, Don Sherwood; two daughters; Mary Beth Fleury of Swanzey, NH, and Katherine Ditolla and her husband Gerard Ditolla of Litchfield, NH, and four grandchildren; Henry Fleury, Haley Fleury, Robbie Ditolla and Rita Ditolla. She is also survived by her siblings and their families, Linda (Blackwood) Small and Barry Small of Naples, FL, and John J Blackwood and Marie (Cain) Blackwood of Naples, FL. Mary’s extended family includes many nieces, nephews and cousins
The family is grateful to the dedicated staff at Carlyle Place, Bedford NH, for the care, comfort and support they provided to Mary during the last year of her life. They would also like to thank the brave and compassionate staff at Elliot Hospital who are working with grit and grace during these extraordinarily difficult times.
Due to the current COVID-19 concerns and the desire to keep those we care about healthy and safe, there will be no calling hours and funeral services will be private. A celebration of Mary’s life will be held at a later date when conditions are safe to gather. In lieu of flowers, Donations can be made to St Jude’s Children’s Fund or the Alzheimer’s Association in Mary’s memory. The FARWELL FUNERAL SERVICE, 18 Lock Street, Nashua is assisting the family with arrangements www.farwellfuneralservice.com
