Mary Gould (M.G.) Warren Foster died peacefully in her sleep August 12 with her four loving children at her side. M.G. was born in 1932, the youngest of three daughters of Bentley Warren and Dorothy Nichols. Raised in Brookline and Manchester by the Sea, she graduated from The Winsor School in 1950 and Bryn Mawr College in 1954. She married Reginald Foster III in 1954 and they raised their four children in Manchester.
MG leaves a legacy of affection, admiration and respect among friends and organizations in Manchester, Prides Crossing and Bedford. Among her children and grand-children, the memories include her cuteness and giggle, long conversations marked by intelligence and her refined word choice, family dinners featuring her unrivaled butterscotch sauce and hollandaise, her legendary hand knit Christmas stockings, her colorful sweaters, and numerous collections that made her home an oasis of comfort and warmth. Her children were also lucky to serve as recipe testers during the years that MG co-edited two volumes of Essex County Cooks cookbooks. Always selfless and understated, MG enjoyed life’s smaller pleasures and could be as content as anyone curled up in a chair with a cup of tea, a good book, and a Red Sox broadcast in the background. Other passions included brisk walks, gardens, birds and animals, decorating for the holidays, the Manchester birthday group, the Carlton Willard “knitwits,” exploring New England with Reg, and occasional longer trips with Reg, Ellen or friends to observe natural wonders and other cultures. As well, she was a beautiful tennis player and a remarkably loyal presence watching her children perform on stages, fields and rinks across New England, regardless of weather.
Lifelong learning and a love of books were a constant theme. In the late 1970s, MG returned to school, ultimately earning a Master’s in Education from Lesley, while simultaneously beginning a 35-year career at Landmark School, Prides Crossing, focused on reading skills for those with dyslexia, where she served as a Teacher, Academic Advisor and Reading Department Head. She was instrumental in forming Landmark’s Reading Department, and today Landmark has a room named in her honor and a plaque outside that reads “Honoring Her Passion For Books and Her Commitment to Learning.” Landmark was clearly a second home. In the “offseason,” June and July were for years dedicated to projects at Landmark’s library, and at St. John’s Church, where MG was a fixture in the used book section of the mid-summer fundraiser. Soon after retirement at 82, she moved to Carlton Willard Village in Bedford, made many new friends, joined a range of committees (library of course), and tutored at Bedford’s elementary school. She fully retired from education at the age of 86.
She is unsurprisingly survived by an attic of books and wonderful collections. As well, she is survived by her four children, Reginald (Sandy) IV (Linda) of Rush, NY, Lawrence (Daphne) of Naples, Fl and Brookline, Ellen of Sugar Hill, NH, and David (Anne) of Darien, CT, ten grandchildren (with 5 spouses) and four great grandchildren, all of whom covet their individualized knitted MG Christmas stocking. She is further survived by numerous nieces and nephews, her sister-in-law, Nancy Foster Zucconi, and her half-brother, Bentley Warren, Jr. She was predeceased by her husband and two sisters, Ellen “Patsy” Kidder and Dorothy “Doffie” Arnold.
A Memorial Service will be held at Emmanuel Church, 24 Masconomo St., Manchester MA at 11am on Friday, September 20. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that one consider donations in MG’s memory to Landmark School (c/o Michelle Granese, P.O. Box 227, Prides Crossing, MA, 01965) or Emmanuel Church (c/o Treasurer, P.O Box 705, Manchester MA, 01944). Arrangements by the Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot St. Beverly, MA. Information, directions, condolences at www.CampbellFuneral.com.
