"The fact that our heart yearns for something earth can't supply

is proof that Heaven must be our home." - C. S. Lewis

BRADFORD, MA - Maria Stuart, 38, of Bradford, MA, passed away suddenly on April 5th, 2024, after a valiant battle with a long illness.

She was born August 23, 1985, to Dr. Douglas Stuart and Gayle (Johnson) Stuart, arriving as a beloved sister to Joanna, Eliza, Eden, and Hannah. She was later joined by Milliesha, Delia, and Jonathan, making a large and loving sibling group that was famous for traveling in close-knit packs, never one without the others. She remained extremely close to her siblings and parents, and in fact passed away only hours after having several deep and warm conversations with her parents and other family members.

A communications and theater arts major at Gordon College (Wenham, MA), finishing in 2007, she appeared in or helped produce many plays. She remained a dedicated film buff throughout her life, and had an exceptional memory for literary and dramatic dialogue. Woe betide the conversationalist who tried to challenge her on book or movie quotes - if she'd heard or read a scene even once, she'd get a gleam in her eye and repeat the entire passage, word for word, with perfect accuracy.

She was a prodigious and fearless reader. A casual, "What are you reading now?" would inevitably become an animated discussion -- usually ending with the questioner leaving with a book tucked in their elbow.

She spent much of her life employed in the restaurant industry, and Boxford natives will remember her as a hardworking teen waitress at Jack's Store. As an adult she made many dear friends at a variety of major restaurants, including Stark Brewing in Manchester, NH, and Essen and the Landing in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA. Maria had a warm and personal style that earned her a host of confidants from among her customers.

Her career was in restaurants and hospitality, but her true gift was an endless well of compassion for everyone around her. Maria was, in the tradition of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky (whose works she adored), a heartbroken idealist - always trying to love this world, but always sorrowing over it too. It could have made her bitter, but instead it made her unfailingly, endlessly, and stubbornly kind. Maria was a tireless advocate for anyone suffering, always returning good for evil. She refused to condemn, dismiss, or resent; she was tender and trusting long after it was necessary, often long after it was wise, but in a way that showed all of us how to be holy - and how to genuinely and deeply forgive.

Dogs, cats, and forest animals instinctively adored her. She was an accomplished equestrian and dog trainer, and owned and trained both for years. As her illness progressed and she took comfort in sitting quietly on her porch or in her yard early morning or late evening, squirrels, skunks, and wild rabbits often joined her.

She died peacefully at a point in her life where she was very close to God, and very happy in her circumstances, and had expressed her strong commitment to living the rest of her life according to God's will. Her transition to the presence of Christ in heaven, to which she will eventually welcome family members and friends of faith, was a surprise as to its timing, but not its certainly.

Maria was no stranger to love, and leaves behind her devoted parents, seven siblings, many nieces and nephews (with whom she was a reliable partner in sly jokes and food sneaking), and faithful companion and loving cat Blueberry.

She accomplished in her too-short life what most people never do: she let grief and pain carve her into something more grateful; more welcoming of silliness and magic; more committed to laughter and to prayer; and with the good sense to feel awe at wildflowers, squirrels, hymns, and ripe berries.

ARRANGEMENTS: A private family memorial will be held in May at Linebrook Church, Ipswich. Assisting the family with the arrangements is O'Donnell Cremations – Funerals – Celebrations, 167 Maple St., (Rte. 62) DANVERS. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.