Maida Mary Baumgardner Latvis

Maida Mary Baumgardner Latvis, the wife of the late John W. Latvis passed away on October 10, 2026.

Always up before dawn, she enjoyed excellent health and strength for her entire life and died at the age of 100, of natural causes.

Maida Latvis will be remembered as a consummate hostess, including over 75 consecutive years of elaborate Christmas dinners and gatherings; as an avid reader and political enthusiast; for her kindness, generosity and endless ability to be the first to offer help; for her weekly attendance at St. Christopher’s Church; for her honesty, hard work and love of her family; as well as for her beauty, signature hairstyle, charisma, manners and social graces.

Maida was born on April 25, 1926 in Mason City, Iowa to parents Doris Kennedy Baumgardner and Arthur Benjamin “Ben” Baumgardner. She was the youngest of four children Maida’s early memories include a sophisticated mother with a fondness for travel who also took time to volunteer with literacy for children, and a hard-working father who was the Superintendent of renowned quarries and a Master Mason. Maida fondly remembered throwing back the rug in her La Grand family home and dancing on the toes of her father while her mother played the piano. They were a close knit family and spent Sunday’s going to a movie or having Maid Rite hamburgers and Burdsell’s ice cream. Maida loved to sing the oldies and played the piano by teaching herself to read music. She loved her summers at the beach in North Hampton and Seabrook New Hampshire and her winters in Ft. Lauderdale Florida where every school vacation was spent with her children and many friends. She loved the sunrise and sunsets from her balcony and appreciated everyone as if it was her first.

She revered her brothers and their service to their country. Colonel Bruce K. Baumgardner served as Military Attache to Bolivia as well as at the Pentagon and at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Paris. Major Dexter K. Baumgardner, a WWII fighter pilot, served under General Claire Chennault, commander of the Flying Tigers, and was the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Both brothers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. She is also predeceased by her sister Duva K. Hill, an accomplished artist and psychologist.

Maida carried with her a lifelong fondness for Iowa and made annual summer trips back to Marshalltown and LeGrand to visit classmates. In doing so she relayed the importance to her children of never forgetting where you come from. After graduating high school in 1943 she attended every reunion through to her 70th class reunion.

After attending the University of Iowa in Iowa City, she and her sister Duva sought independence by moving to Miami, Florida where they worked frequently as models. Maida initially took a job selling War Bonds at the department store Burdines.

Later, Duva worked with the Military Intelligence Department at the Air Force Base and told Maida they needed more money to pay the rent so Maida took the Civil Service exam and also obtained a job with the Military Intelligence Department. Six months later, Duva was offered a job as a script writer for the Air Force at the Air Base in Panama. On her way to Panama, Duva was required to present her papers to a handsome military intelligence officer named John W. Latvis. He asked if she had any confidential papers in her possession and she stated she did not and proceeded to empty the entire contents of her purse on the table. As John searched among the items he noticed a photo of a striking woman and asked who it was. Duva replied it was her sister, who also worked for Military Intelligence on the Air Base. Officer John W. Latvis, from Nashua, New Hampshire, asked for Maida Baumgardner’s phone number and the rest is history!

At the end of WWII John returned to the United States and the couple were married in Mason City, Iowa on February 19, 1946. Their first child, Lynda Louise Latvis was born in June 1947 in Syracuse, New York where John received his BS from Syracuse University. After graduation, John and Maida returned to Nashua for the summer when John was accepted at the Harvard Business School where he received his MBA. The couple lived in Ayer, Mass at Fort Devons (Harvard Devons), and upon graduation he accepted a job with Textron in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Steven John Latvis was born in September 1950 in Puerto Rico. The family remained there until returning to New Hampshire in 1953. Maida was employed at Edgecomb Steel in Nashua and John began training in Hartford, Connecticut to become an insurance agent. He soon founded Latvis Insurance Agency, later Latvis Insurance and Real Estate, and successfully ran the company until his death in 2016 at age 97.

In May 1953 their third child, Jeffrey T. Latvis, was born and Maida became a full-time stay-at-home mother. In November 1955 they welcomed a second daughter, Tina J. Latvis. While Maida had originally dreamed of having a family of two boys and two girls, she received a bonus in May 1964 when their third daughter, Maida Kennedy, was born, rounding out a robust family of five children.

In her spare time, Maida completed Barbizon Modeling of Boston and modeled in fashion shows in New York, Boston, the NH seacoast and Nashua, NH as well as acting in commercials in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. She was President of the Nashua Country Club Ladies Auxiliary, a member of the PEO Chapter L and at one time she was secretary of the Ladies Auxiliary at St. Joseph’s Hospital and volunteered at the coffee shop at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center for over 25 years. Maida and John were members of the Harvard Club in Boston and the Marines Memorial Club of San Francisco and was a Rise member at Rivier College. She also appeared in the role of Addie of Strange Bedfellows in the first production of the Nashua Theater Guild.

Maida was a pin up poster girl at the Sioux City Airforce Base while she was employed while waiting for John to return from Japan. Her children often commented that she could spot a celebrity a mile a way. Some of her chance encounters with celebrities were truly hysterical…Prince Charles, Rita Hayworth on the French Riviera, Stewart Granger in Berlin and Tennessee Ernie Ford in the Bahamas and many more. She always wanted to write a book and call it “Tell them who your Mother is”. As she said when she was growing up, if she or her brothers or sister were sent to the store by their mother or to do an errand for her, her mothers last words before going out the door would be “Tell them who your Mother is!”

Because Maida’s father worked for the railroad they received free rail passes and traveled extensively attending world fairs and stopping to see a rodeo in Wyoming, bargaining with the Indian settlers in Arizona andfishing off the shores of Seattle to catch garden snakes in a jar in Oregon.

Maida gave her entire family the gift of travel. She traveled well and frequently with her husband John and all five children, together with complex itineraries, passports, and luggage. She was a master organizer. Travel included numerous trips to Europe as well as other journeys to Russia, Brazil, South America, and China. Frequent visits were made to places of family origin including Germany and Lithuania where they were warmly received by relatives. She especially was proud of her Mother Daughter trips she took with her three girls to Iowa, Arizona and her stories about growing up in Iowa which had a certain likeness to Betty White and St. Oloaf saying “here we go again”.

Maida’s father Ben was a semi pro baseball player in the Dakota Leagues and had stone quarries to supply the entire midwest with gravel for highways, train beds and flatrock for many homes built in their city. The Baumgardners were church going people and would refuse groceries delivered in liquor boxes, they always had to be transferred to acceptable boxes to make it into the house. Maida Mary was an avid letter writer to friends and people she met all over the world as well as her former classmates.

The Latvis family made several trips through Checkpoint Charlie, traveling between East and West Berlin and were visiting Berlin in 1989 the day the Berlin Wall dramatically came down.

In 1981, the family purchased and lived seasonally in the Sea Ranch condominium at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida. Upon arriving for the first time, John carried Maida over the threshold. All members of the family and extended family and friends were welcome to enjoy the sunshine, warmth and proximity to the pools and beach. Many life-long friendships were made.

Maida will be remembered for her great love for her children, recital of limericks and quips and for the uncanny ability to remember names, dates, and details which earned her the nickname “Mrs. Google”, many of John’s successes can be attributed to Maida’s organization, hard work, and ability to network.

Maida M. Latvis was predeceased by her husband of over 70 years, John William Latvis, her parents Doris Kennedy Baumgardner and Arthur Benjamin “Ben” Baumgardner, her brothers Colonel Bruce K. Baumgardner (Betty) and Major Dexter K. Baumgardner (Jane), her sister Duva K. Hill (Robert), sons Steven John Latvis (Louise), Jeffrey Thomas Latvis (Debbie), and grandson Tory Marandos.

Maida is survived by daughter Lynda (Cosmos Elias Marandos) and their daughter Tara (Craig Michaud) of Nashua, daughters Tina J. Latvis of San Francisco, and Maida Kennedy Latvis (George Hickey IV) of Nashua, grandson John Steven Latvis (Brooke) of Manchester, NH, and granddaughter Stephanie (Tyler Costa), her great grandchildren Brady and Logan of Nashua, and nephews Scott Hill (Rhanka) of Sweden and Doug Hill (Judy) of Pennsylvania, niece Janice Mogan King (Tim) of Iowa, and nephew William Latvis (Cathy), of Florida.

We’d like to specifically thank Jeannie King, Carol Bradley, Fran Bell and neighbor Bonnie Getz who played an integral part in keeping Maida in her home and made her feel safe, special and loved. Also a special thank you to all the wonderful nurses, LNA’s and volunteers from Home Health and Hospice who provided for Maida over the last year.

A time of visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 13th from 4:00pm – 7:00pm in the Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home, 50 Ferry Street in Hudson, NH. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, October 14th at 10:00am in St. Christopher Catholic Church, 62 Manchester Street in Nashua. All are asked to please meet at church. Burial will take place in Edgewood Cemetery in Nashua. To share an online message of condolence, please visit www.dumontsullivan.com The Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home in Hudson is in charge of arrangements.