Atkinson, NH: Mary M. Lavanga, 99, a former longtime resident of Conley's Grove in Atkinson, died peacefully on April 4, 2022 at Colonial Poplin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in Fremont.

Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she was the daughter of the late Murray and Jenny (Miller) Fiander. She moved to the United States with her family as a child and settled into the Boston area. She attended local schools and was later married to Richard Power, and widowed when he was killed in World War II.

A nuturing and hardworking mother, Mary raised six children, mostly as a single mom and worked more than one job at a time to provide a home and life for her growing family in the Conley Grove neighborhood of Atkinson. She earned her Associates Degree in Human Services from the former Castle Junior College and was employed for many years at Western Electric Co. in North Andover and as a teacher at the Salem New Hampshire Montessori School.

She was married in 1961 to Eugene Lavanga, and together they enjoyed thirty-seven years of marriage until his death in 1999. They were the co-owners of E. Lavanga Painting Company.

A longtime active member of Saint Anne's Parish of Hampstead, Mrs. Lavanga served as a Sacristan and Eucharistic Minister as well as a receptionist in the parish offices for ten years.

An accomplished artist in oils, pastels and other media, she was an avid reader who followed politics and enjoyed history. She also enjoyed arts, crafts, ceramics and making jewelry and rosary beads. She was a devoted wife and mother and reveled in hosting her large extended family at her home for cookouts, Sunday dinners and any family celebrations.

She was predeceased by her daughters Jo-Ann Kolifrath and Kathleen Garlington and a son-in-law Richard Kolifrath. She will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by four sons and three daughters-in-law, Richard J. Power of Inkster, MI, Michael F. and Doris Sullivan of Southwick, MA, Patrick J. and Patricia Sullivan of Salem, WI, and David and Carol Sullivan of Coral Springs, FL, a son-in-law Mark Garlington of Sandown, eighteen grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Mary's Life Celebration to be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, 116 Main St., Plaistow, NH. Her funeral will begin on Friday morning, April 8, at 8:45 a.m. from the funeral home, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Saint Anne's Church, Emerson Avenue, Hampstead. Burial will be in May in the Atkinson Cemetery. The family requests that memorial donations be made to St. Anne's Food Pantry, Emerson Avenue, Hampstead, NH or to The Little Sisters of Saint Francis, P.O.Box 478, Danville, NH. To send a message of condolence to the family or to share a precious memory, please visit: www.brooksidechapelfh.com .