It is with great sadness that we write this tribute to inform you of the passing of Winnifred Mary Ward. Mary was born on August 24, 1923 and died on June 14, 2021, at 5:07 pm from complications following a recent surgery. Mary was 97 years old.
Mary passed peacefully with one of her nieces Bev Coates and great-niece Cally Daems at her bedside. Attached is a photo that we love of Aunt Mary...hope you will like it as well. (Mary designed the hat for a crazy hat day at Chalmers Lodge where she resided since 2002). The photo, seems to capture her personality and "essence" for life.
Mary recently needed more care and moved to Little Mountain Place but was only there for eight days before going to VGH for emergency surgery.
We have all been so blessed for so many years to have had Mary in our lives. Aunt Mary was always talking about her friends and family in the UK and how she so enjoyed hearing from you and felt badly when she was too ill to write or call you. She was always thinking of others. Mary also has so many wonderful friends in the US and throughout Canada that she kept in touch with, extending her love to their families as well.
Mary was predeceased by her parents Charles and Lucy Ward (nee Hatcliff) and her brother, Ralph Wm Ward (Alice). Also predeceased by her stepmother Rena Ward, stepsister Kay Bell (Lyall) their son Barry Bell, and cousin Fred Wall.
Mary is also survived by Berry’s wife Sharon Dagenais, and Fred’s wife Dorothy
Her nieces Beverely Coates (nee Ward) of Abbotsford, Carol Allen (nee Ward) of Kelowna and Step Niece Barbara Bell-Olsen/Tony Andrews of South Surrey. Sadly, Barbara Bell-Olsen died four days following Mary’s death.
Great Nieces and nephews include Cynthia Coates/Andrew Albiston, Cory Coates/Lisa, Cally Daems (nee Coates)/Ron Daems, Crystal Allen, Kimberly Allen, Chris Olsen and Kerry Olsen their Dad (Ray Olsen)/Gail Hunt
Great, great nieces and nephews Jordan Albiston, Kian Albiston, Riley Daems, Chase Daems, Remy Daems, Cyla Daems, Anya Coates, Samuel Coates, and Harmony Allen Hembling;
Mary was born in Calgary, Alberta and moved to Vancouver in 1947 after spending the war years 1942-1946 working for the British Air Commission in Washington DC. During her lifetime, Mary was employed at over 20 companies where she held top administrative positions. Mary enjoyed positions that challenged her skills, intellect and abilities.
Mary’s love of dance was evident by her faithful weekly attendance with friends at local Vancouver dance halls. She enjoyed bingo, concerts and noon hour lectures, and antique auctions. Mary had many different types of collections that were very precious to her.
She was an avid lapidary enthusiast travelling to many areas of BC with her club to gather stones and rocks. She was an expert in polishing and mounting her finds into beautiful jewelry. Mary had fun going to the casinos with many of her dear friends. One of those friends of over 60 years mentioned she could never get Mary to bet more than 25 cents. Mary took great delight in knowing and studying the stock market and was an avid investor. Mary was a talented writer with many published stories and articles. She used her writing talent to engage in political correspondence on many social issues. Mary also kept a log of all the books and authors she had read which numbered in the hundreds.
Mary loved to travel and over the years her adventures with her girlfriends included cruises, trips and vacations throughout Canada, the US, and Europe. She especially enjoyed trips to England to visit friends and cousins.
Mary loved dogs, hated birds, and had the most amazing memory for people’s names and faces and also for their stories.
Mary was a very organized person in herself and her possessions. She was a smart dresser and always turned heads with her sense of style and fashion that was never ostentatious but clean, tidy and tasteful. She loved jokes and often clipped and sent them to friends and family. She was an amazing listener who would remember and ask you in your next conversation about the previous conversation, whether it was yesterday or twenty years ago, she knew the details. She knew because she cared about people and no one was more important to her than her family and her dear friends and then family of those friends.
Mary suffered from severe osteoporosis all her life and I am sure had a break or a compression fracture in every bone in her body. Mary used her strong sense of independence to keep herself going and healing, falling and getting up with a determined attitude that took her through almost a century.
Mary faced many health challenges and came through each one until this last one when her frail little body was just too weak. Her spirit however, never gave up even when sometimes she was so tired and frail and wanted to go. She would surprise us all and once again with every ounce of determination she would recover, at her own pace, and when she was ready. She always knew when she was ready.
We wanted to keep her forever, but we also knew when she was ready that it was time for us to let her go. She completed her earthly journey here with style, dignity and a love that was extended to everyone she knew. No one took advantage of her however, as she always knew how to look after herself. Mary always worried too much, but we came to understand that was just part of who she was. We would always tease her and say, “worrying does help, everything we worry about never happens,” she would get a laugh out of that for sure. She never married, or had children. However, if she read this tribute, we think she would agree that she had a very large family indeed. A huge family consisting of many children and adults, that loved her very much.
When Mary died, she took with her a piece of our hearts that left a tiny hole. So now is a time for us to grieve, then when our grieving is complete, that tiny hole in our heart will be healed by all the love that Mary left behind for each one of us to cherish. Time will turn our sadness to enduring memories that will never die. We love her, we miss her. We will see her in our dreams, until we meet again.
The family gratefully declines flowers. Mary supported many charities and should you choose to do so please select a charity of your choice. Thank you.
It was Mary’s request there be no formal funeral service.
The placement of Mary’s cremated remains will take place at - Boal Memorial Garden, 1505 - Lillooet Rd. North Vancouver, BC on July 14, 2021 at 1:00 pm.
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