Mary Walsh Ruell, 96, of Ashland, NH, widow of Laurent "Joe" Ruell, died at home on June 21. Born on July 4, 1916 in Hamilton, MA, she was the daughter of E. Lillian and Thomas Walsh, immigrants from County Galway, Ireland. She grew up in South Hamilton, attending the local schools. She studied Business Education and received her Bachelors degree from Salem State College in 1937. Her first teaching job brought her to Ashland High School. In 1939 she left Ashland for Old Lyme, CT and taught there for three years. When WWII broke out she moved with her mother to Providence, RI, teaching in the first public high school in East Greenwich. Wanting to take part in the war effort, she worked at Walsh-Kaiser Shipyard in Rhode Island and volunteered at the United War Fund and the American Red Cross. She became a fundraiser for Brown University after the war. In 1949, on a trip to visit old friends in Ashland, she reunited with Laurent Ruell and the couple married six months later. They raised five children and lived on Hill Street in the Ruell family home. She returned to teaching in 1955 working for seven years at Bristol High School and fifteen at Laconia High School. In her spare time she earned a Masters of Education from Plymouth State College. She retired in 1977. For 25 years, beginning in June 1988, Mary was the Ashland correspondent for the Record Enterprise, formerly the Record Citizen. Mary was extremely active in community affairs. She served on the Ashland School Board, as Memorial Park Trustee, as the town representative to the Pemi-Baker Home Health Agency, on the Budget Committee and other Town committees including Recycling, Elderly Exemptions and the Tennis Courts. She was appointed to the New Hampshire State Committee on Aging. She was an active volunteer and often served as an officer in numerous organizations including. Ashland Historical Society, Squam River Covered Bridge Committee, Memorial Park Committee, Ashland Community Closet and Community Center, Ashland Woman's Club, New Hampshire Federation of Women's Clubs, Fourth of July Committee, Plymouth Area Community Closet, FISH, Ashland Beach-Booster Association, Squam Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, Rural Arts Program, League of NH Craftsmen, Speare Hospital Association, Lakes Region Retired Educators, New Hampshire Retired Educators, State School Board Association, St Agnes Church, Youth at Risk Committee, American Cancer Society, Democratic Town Committee, and Ashland Garden Club. She received numerous recognitions and awards for her exceptional contributions to the community. She loved art, flowers, travel, politics and literature. She enjoyed painting, rug hooking and weaving. She was the beloved mother of David of Ashland, Stephen and his wife Margaret of Canaan, ME, Ellen and her husband Jay Himmelstein of Worcester, MA, Kevin and his wife Neidi Suursoo of Bolton, VT, and Janice and her husband Stephen Mongeau of Chelmsford, MA; grandmother of Morgan, Wesley, and Gwen Ruelle, Nathan Ruell, Julia Himmelstein, Patrick and Rosemary Mongeau, Jesse Himmelstein and his wife Benedicte Meillon, Jolie Ruelle and her husband Ezra Wube, Emily Ruell and her husband Corey Handlesman, Lillian Mongeau Hughes and her husband Calder Hughes; and great grandmother of Zoe and Leah Himmelstein and Amora Ruelle. She also has many loving nieces and nephews. Calling hours will be at the Dupuis Funeral Home, Hill Ave in Ashland on Tuesday, June 25 from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. Funeral will be on Wednesday at St Agnes Church at 11 am. Donations in her memory may be sent to the Ashland Historical Society, PO Box 175; Ashland Memorial Park Fund, PO Box 320: or Ashland Fourth of July Committee, PO Box 12, all of Ashland, NH 03217.