Mary J. Donovan

Mary Jean (Keast) Donovan, 85, of Laconia, New Hampshire, passed away on March 11, 2026, after a brief illness at Concord Hospital-Laconia. Born on May 11, 1940, in Marquette, Michigan, to Lynn and Edna (Nault) Keast, Mary grew up there and graduated from Bishop Baraga High School in 1958. She worked as a secretary in the Education department at Northern Michigan University, where she met her future husband, Robert F. Donovan. They married on August 31, 1963, in Marquette, and shared a loving marriage of more than 62 years.

After two years in Detroit, Michigan, Mary and Bob settled in Manchester, New Hampshire, where their sons Mike and Jerry were born in 1968 and 1970. In 1979, the family moved to their longtime home in Laconia. While raising her sons, Mary worked for the Town of Gilford, Central New Hampshire Employment Agency, and The Plant Petaler. She was remembered as a generous, loving, kind, and caring woman who cherished time with her family. She adored her five grandsons—Shane, Kyle, Jake, Colin, and Brady Donovan—and welcomed every gathering with homemade meals and appetizers. Mary had a passion for gardening, reading, photography, bird watching, music, and dancing, and she remained a devoted supporter of Boston sports, especially her beloved Celtics.

Mary and Bob enjoyed traveling together, including two trips to Ireland, family visits to Michigan, and many winters spent in Fort Myers Beach and New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Along the way, they formed many lasting friendships. She is survived by her son Mike and his fiancée Dawn, her son Jerry and his wife Christine, her five grandsons, three sisters-in-law, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews who loved her dearly. She was predeceased by her husband Bob in January 2026, and by her brothers Tom Keast and Bob Keast.