Mary-Louise Comins Crozier, 77, of Lyndeborough, NH, died on January 17, 2014, at Southern NH Medical Center, Nashua.

She was the daughter of the late Ellsworth D. and Elizabeth Sherman Comins. Mary-Lou grew up in Springfield, MA, and graduated from Classical High School in 1954. She graduated from Simmons College in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing.

She began her career as a psychiatric nurse at McLean Hospital. Her impressive career spanned 46 years. The positions that she held included instructor of nursing at Burbank Hospital School of Nursing, director of a day treatment program for the mentally ill, and nurse manager on an adult psychiatric unit at Brookside Hospital. She ended her career on the Access Team at SNHMC in 2006.

Mary-Lou loved her summer home on Melendy Pond and eagerly awaited her return there every year.

Her legacy however truly lies in her passion for teaching. She was an advocate for those who could not do so for themselves. Mary-Lou had a sharp wit and spoke openly and honestly to others. She was a confidante to many and was tolerant and accepting. She gave love to so many and this was returned to her and her family in abundance.

She is survived by her beloved partner of 36 years, Donna Mary St. Germain; her daughter, Martha Louise Crozier-Povey and her partner, Lisa Smith; her brother, The Reverend Ellsworth Comins and his wife, Denyse; her granddaughters, Kaitlyn Elizabeth and Maya Louise Povey, Lauren Ryland, Grace Crozier, and Mirren Filbert; great-grandchildren, Jah Dai Povey, Serena Mingus, and Dean Kohler; a niece, Jane McCord and her husband, Tom; a nephew, James Comins and his wife, Marissa; a sister-in-law, Linda Smith and her children, Jodi LaCross, Scott Smith and his wife, Norene, and their children. Other special people in Mary-Lou’s life were Gregory Povey, Loretta Ryland and Norma Comins.

Mary-Lou was predeceased by her son, Ernest Prescott “Scott” Crozier III, and her grandson, John Gregory Povey.

Memorial visiting hours will be held on Friday, January 24 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford, followed by a memorial service at 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on behalf of Maya Louise Povey. Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, Milford. To share a memory or offer a condolence, visit www.smith-heald.com.