Mary Elizabeth Innes

Mom would strongly disapprove of her obituary being overly dreary, overly long, or, God forbid, overly boring, so we’ll do our best to make these words a celebration of the amazing mother, sister, and friend that she was.

Mom was born in Huntsville, Ontario, and was the beloved eldest sister to 10 brothers and sisters. In time, she became the matriarch of this large brood. A true arts aficionado, she could sing, paint, sculpt, write poetry, and who knows what else. She was also an avid baker and passed this passion along to her son Andrew, making him rather plump. She shared her love of aviation with her son Grant and her late husband, John. She met John at Maple airport and spent many hours in the air with him flying out of Buttonville Airport in a Rockwell Commander. This passion to take to the skies eventually led her to serve as Chairman of the First Canadian Chapter as well as East Canada Governor of the Ninety-Nines, the International Organization of Women Pilots. With the Ninety-Nine, she took part in Operation Skywatch in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, where she would fly over and photograph specific sites monitoring for pollution across central Ontario.

She loved her garden and flowers and also achieved third class teacher status in Ikenobo, the oldest form of Ikebana, the traditional art of Japanese flower arranging. Mom was heavily involved in her church, Trinity Anglican in Aurora, Ontario and was a beloved fixture in that community. She sang in the choir and headed up the Flower and Garden Guild. When we would go and pick out a Christmas tree every year Mom was just as concerned (perhaps more concerned?) that we also find the perfect tree for the church. She loved being part of the community at Trinity.

We were all heartbroken when Mom was diagnosed with stomach cancer just a short while ago. In true Mom fashion, she took the news with dignity and, of course, was more concerned for us than for herself. She passed away in her home with us by her side along with Grant’s wife Cristina and Andrew’s husband Darrin. It was truly our honour to spend her final moments with her.

Mom was a person who woke up every morning choosing love over hate, joy over sorrow, and generosity over greed. She is the example that we try to live our lives by. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 restrictions, her funeral will be for family only. We do hope that you will join us though by watching the live stream of her service on Monday August 30, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. You can access the live stream on Youtube by searching for Trinity Anglican Church Aurora. There should also be a link to the service on Trinity’s website in the following days. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Welcoming Arms in Aurora or to the Trinity Aurora Ministry Fund.

Fly west into the sunset, Mom. We will miss you terribly.