Concord, NH – Mary Bristol MacIver passed away on Saturday, Feb 28, 2026, at the age of 86, surrounded by family.
Born on July 23, 1939 in Boston, MA, she spent her early years in Greenfield, N.H. At seven she moved to Peterborough, NH. She graduated from Peterborough High School in 1957. She attended Boston University, then went on to graduate from Concord Hospital School of Nursing in 1962.
Predeceased by her parents Donald and Frances (Hopkins) Bristol, husband Robert MacIver, brother in-law Robert Mitchell and sister in-law Linda Cates.
Survived by her twin sister Susan Mitchell and brother Leland (Marty) Bristol, children Neil (Chrissy) MacIver, Kelli (Joe) Bruns, Grandchildren: Gabrielle (Nick), Gavin and Van MacIver, Tyler and Jamie Bruns, Stepson Shawn (Patty) MacIver, and granddaughters Lelia and Sadie MacIver, one niece-Jessi Cates-Bristol; and two nephews, Kris Cates-Bristol and Bob Mitchell many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and cousins.
Bonus family: Dawn (Brian) Gibbs, Sarah Burnikell, The Caron Family.
Mary loved people. Her favorite pastime was gathering with family or friends over coffee or a shared meal. She loved the ocean, especially the Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. She had strong, life-long friendships that spanned decades. She loved her grandchildren and cherished any opportunity to support them in their various endeavors. She would drop everything to spend time with any of her children or grandchildren-supporting them on the court, field or stage, making their favorite meal, or giving them a place to have an awesome sleepover. She was always up for joining the family on any adventure. She spent her later years enjoying nightly card games with her friends and family, and her beloved cat Cuddles was always by her side.
Mary was a humanitarian at heart who spent her life in service to others. She worked as an RN for Concord Hospital as well as private offices and nursing homes. While raising her children she shifted to part-time nursing and in-home childcare. During that time she worked for a drug and alcohol crisis center and was a youth services advocate. She then returned to full-time work at Friends Emergency Housing where she found fulfillment working to help families find resources and permanent housing. Volunteerism included St. Peter’s Catholic Church, St. Vincent de Paul, she made countless meals, drove the sick and elderly to appointments and provided support and companionship wherever there was a need.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff and residents at Granite Ledges and Granite VNA for their care and companionship over the last two years.
Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, March 8th from 3PM to 5 PM at the Waters Funeral Home, 50 South Main Street, Concord, NH.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on March 9th at 10 AM at Christ the King Parish, St. John’s Church, 72 South Main Street, Concord, NH.
Burial will be in the Spring at Greenvale Cemetery in Greenfield, NH.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the following organizations:
The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health @ www.johnritterfoundation.org or to the American Cancer Society @ www.cancer.org
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