Mary Lois Eckler Dennison81, passed away on December 6th at Kendal of Hanover in Hanover, NH. Mary was born in Cambridge, MA on March 14, 1932 to Albert Ross Eckler and Jennie (Howe) Eckler.

Mary grew up in Washington, DC, where her father was an economist at the Bureau of the Census. She attended the Washington public schools, graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1949. She attended Swarthmore College from 1949 to 1953, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology.

While at Swarthmore, Mary met David S. Dennison, whom she married in Washington, DC in 1954. Following their wedding, Mary and Dave moved to Pasadena, California where she taught elementary school. In 1958 she and Dave moved to Hanover.

While raising her two sons in Hanover, Mary remained involved with education, teaching reading at the Lebanon Public schools, and developing educational software for early personal computers. Mary was actively involved with the League of Women Voters of the Upper Valley.

Mary was an active skier and hiker, and enjoyed spending time outdoors with her family and friends. She traveled widely, living in Germany while a young mother, traveling to the Soviet Union in the early 1970s, and touring the United States by car several times. She was devoted to her husband, children, and grandchildren, and she will be missed by them.

Mary is survived by her husband David, her two sons, Edward Dennison of Dover, MA and Eric Dennison of Hanover, and four grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, A. Ross Eckler Jr. of Basking Ridge, NJ, three cousins, and five nieces and nephews.

A gathering of remembrance will be held at Kendal of Hanover on January 4th, 2014 at 2:00 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation (www.parkinson.org).

Arrangements were by the Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, NH.