Maureen (Bennett) Peters -of Salisbury and formerly of North Reading passed away peacefully and surrounded by family in Boston on April 15, 2024, following a recurrence of cancer.

Maureen was born on April 15, 1950 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to R. George and F. Marilyn Bennett.  After briefly living in Los Alamos, New Mexico, she was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she developed a lifelong fondness of Boston.  Maureen attended Cambridge Matignon School on scholarship and graduated in 1968.

In 1971, Maureen married the late Paul DiVasta and spent years as a proud Air Force wife living in Georgia and North Carolina.  She had two children with Paul: Brian and Melanie DiVasta.

In 1978, Maureen and Paul separated and she returned to the Boston area with two kids, a dog, and a cat to start over.  She eventually met and married Karl Peters in 1982 and settled in North Reading. Together, they had two sons, Chris and Mike Peters.  All four of Maureen’s children graduated from North Reading High School.

Maureen established a career working as a paraprofessional in the North Reading Public School District for over 20 years.  She found a calling in special education, where she touched the lives of countless children and families through her compassion and patience.

Maureen was a brilliant person, but never earned a college degree, instead prioritizing being a mother.  She had children under the age of 18 at home for 32 years of her life, and throughout her life they were her greatest source of joy and pride.  In return, her children could always count on Mom’s help and unconditional love even in their hardest times.

Later in life, Maureen was a loving “Nana” to Alexis, Nicholas, Sydney, and Adelyn, the oldest of whom Maureen lived to see graduate high school in 2023.  Taking her grandchildren on trips across the country, from Yellowstone National Park to South Dakota to meet their American Indian cousins, was a special joy in her later years.

After Maureen and Karl divorced in 2011, she set out on her own once more and settled in Salisbury.

Long walks at low tide on the state beach brought her comfort and peace amid challenging periods that included her mom’s passing in 2012 from cancer and Maureen’s own battles with cancer over the past several years.  Her hardest test came in Melanie’s unexpected passing in 2023, which Maureen faced with superhuman strength and grace.

She leaves a rich, loving legacy in her children and grandchildren that includes cherished Christmas traditions, a love of Boston, and a fondness for animals (especially cats).  More broadly, she leaves the example of how she lived: with perseverance through adversity, the capacity to always experience joy in life, and selflessly putting family first.

Maureen Peters is predeceased by her parents and, in addition to Melanie, by her baby Kim lost in childbirth in 1972.  She is survived by three children, four grandchildren, and siblings Philip and Judy Bennett and Carol Camp.

A funeral mass will be held on Saturday May 11th at 11:00am at St. Theresa’s Church in North Reading followed by a celebration of life reception in town.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and to the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society.

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