Mary Ann Knowles

Mary Ann (Demyan) Knowles, 70, of Hudson, passed away peacefully on Feb 6, 2017, at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH, in the company of her husband and son. She was born on Dec. 5, 1946, in New Brunswick, NJ, daughter of the late Michael and Viola (Gasecki) Demyan. Mary Ann graduated from St. Peter’s High School in New Brunswick, NJ, and attended Douglass College of Rutgers University. Mary Ann always loved learning, and worked for 30 years for Elderhostel/Road Scholar, an organization that provides educational travel experiences for mature adults. In 1983, while working at Elderhostel, she met her future husband John. They married in 1984. In 1990, they moved from Somerville, MA, to Hudson, NH. From 1999 to 2005 she served as a Library Trustee in Hudson, as well as contributing to many other projects to benefit her town. From the time she moved to New Hampshire she was active in Democratic politics. In 2006 she agreed to run for State Representative, and ended up serving three terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, in her last term as Vice-Chair of the Election Law Committee. She and John loved travelling, and she was able to experience widely different places and cultures, such as Masai villages, Kenyan women’s collectives, and Maori sea craft. She eventually achieved her bucket list item of visiting all seven continents, from Istanbul to Hong Kong, England to Russia, Alaska to New Orleans, the Galapagos and Machu Picchu, Kenya and Egypt, and in the last two years, Antarctica and Australia/New Zealand. She loved animals, especially elephants, and was a strong supporter of the elephant orphanage run by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. Mary Ann is survived by her husband, John Knowles; son, Michael Bornheimer and his wife, Sonya Martin of New York City; two sisters, Carol Snyder and her husband Jeff of Montrose, PA, and Kathie Ensor and her husband Jim of Raymond, ME; five nieces and nephews; her four cats, Israfel, Annabelle, Finian, and Fia; and her former husband Bill Bornheimer of Cambridge, MA. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, February 18, from 1pm-4pm in the Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home, 50 Ferry Street, in Hudson. In Lieu of flowers donations in her memory can be made in Mary Ann’s name to the US Friends of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, 25283 Cabot Road, Suite 101, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.

Mary Ann Knowles

December 5, 1946 - February 6, 2017