Mary Florence CARTER

Mary was a wonderful daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend. We were fortunate to have her in our lives. She is survived by sister, Janet (Ted) Vaughan; brother, Dick (Alice) Isenor; daughter, Vivian (John) Muir; sons, Frank Carter and Larry (Kathleen) Carter; grandchildren, David (Corina), Sarah (Andrew), Jay (Andre), Adrienne (William) and Alex (Johnny); great-granddaughter, Sloane and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.  Mary was pre-deceased by her husband of 50 years, Walter Carter; parents, Dickey and Mary Isenor; brother, John (Pheobe) Isenor; sisters, Emma (Henry Parkin/Jack Ahern), Alice (Roy) Filbey and Margaret Isenor.

Mary came to Merville in 1919 at the age of 3. She worked very hard on the family farm as a girl where she learned about gardening and acquired a love of growing things - and she could grow anything.  She and her husband Walter Carter bought 5 acres on Robb Road in Comox (now part of the Rec Centre) where they established a market garden, specializing in strawberries that they sold to local stores. After Walt died, she maintained a vegetable and flower garden on her own and generously shared her crops with friends and neighbours. She was especially proud of her flowers and visitors were given a tour of her garden with Mum pointing out recent changes. Guests received bouquets of her finest flowers and often baking, too. Mary was a good cook and an excellent baker and was famous for her breads - especially her air buns!  She practiced the domestic arts that she learned from her mother- sewing, embroidery, crocheting and knitting and made dozens of sweaters of all sizes and everyone received socks for Christmas!

Mum's activities included travels and she and Dad flew to Edmonton, Nova Scotia, Mexico, Los Vegas, Hawaii and to Japan, but their favorite mode of travel was by little white truck and camper. They drove all over Canada and the US in convoy with friends. Mum was a walker. She covering many, many miles, frequently walking to the Comox Mall to have coffee with friends or along the beaches to collect bark for her wood stove or seaweed for her garden. She and Dad used to go hiking "up the mountain" (aka The Forbidden Plateau) and once they walked down into the Grand Canyon and back up in one day! (Good-bye toenails!).  She and Dad also used to fish for salmon in his little boat. They would launch at Point Holmes and head for their favorite spot near the bell buoy. There was a friendly (we think?) rivalry as to who could catch the most/biggest fish.

Mum's hobbies included water colour painting, especially of landscapes like The Spit which she could see from her window.  She also enjoyed bird watching especially the birds in her yard that included robins, blue jays, seagulls (that walked along the deck railing until she fed them), starlings (not her favorites) and hummingbirds. She particularly enjoyed watching the pair of eagles that were nesting in the tree in front of her house. (They were perched there the day she died.)

Mum spent her last years living in Casa Loma and The Seniors Village where she was so very well cared for.   Her family is forever grateful for the love, kindness and respect Mum received there. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone.  

A Celebration of Life will be held in Mary's honour from 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday, July 9th, 2016 at Comox United Church, 250 Beach Road in Comox.