Mary Hertz

The family of Mary Maxwell (Mackie) Hertz, announces with deep sadness and profound gratitude for her life, her passing on December 14, 2023 on her beloved Maui, during her 101st year. Mackie’s daughter Virginia (Ginny) and grandson Nicholas lived with her and provided loving care for many years. They, and her grandchildren Caroline and Thomas, were with her during her final hours. Her granddaughter Jaime and great grandson Robert also visited her. Born at home on September 28, 1923 in Ottawa, Canada to the late Gordon Maxwell Meighen Edwards and Mary Elizabeth Currie, she was the eldest of the four Edwards girls (Elizabeth Gordon, Janet Cameron (F.W. White) and Edna Ann (C. Stewart), all of whom predeceased her. Their home life emphasized education, faith and community and was a lifelong foundation for Mackie who was bright, inquisitive, talented and strong, with a good sense of humor. Mackie had a 57 year love affair with her husband, Dr. Ralph E. L. Hertz. (d. 2002) and was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and life-long friend. She found joy in many things but the greatest in her family and the dogs that were her companions throughout her life. From childhood Mackie’s love of God was a source of great comfort.

Known to her friends as Max or Mackie, she attended Miss Fraser’s School in New Edinburgh and then Elmwood School in Rockcliffe Park where she was Head of Fry House, won the Philpot Medal and was Editor of the Samara in 1940, her graduating year. She also starred in school plays which she enjoyed immensely. A 1939 review in the Ottawa Citizen by their theater critic read, in part: “Let it suffice for the moment to say that Elmwood school fully maintained the high standards of other years. There were two reasons for this but of them, later. ….The second thing was the playing of Elizabeth Bennet by Mackie Edwards. It is no exaggeration to say that her performance as the heroine of the novel was the most sincere and intelligent of any we have seen in all the eleven years we have visited Elmwood School. Any girl in her teens who can act with such sweet authority and assurance, with such charm and understanding is a credit not only to herself but to her teachers and her school. She has an ability which must not be neglected.”

Mackie was the first third generation female graduate of Royal Victoria College, McGill University, Montreal. Her grandmother, Eliza Cowan Cross, graduated in the 1st women’s class in 1888. Her mother, Mary Currie, was the gold medallist and won the Penhallow Prize on her graduation in 1916. Mackie graduated in 1944 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. During her time at McGill she was active with the Red Wing Society, the only women’s honor society at McGill. She served as secretary treasurer of the Royal Victoria College (R.V.C) from 1942-1943 and was House President of R.V.C. from 1943-1944. Convocation for Mackie and Ralph’s graduating class was held at The Citadel in Quebec City in September of 1944 during the 2nd Quebec Conference. F.D.R. and Churchill were the guests of honor.

Mackie met Ralph in September of 1940. They were married in Ottawa, Canada on February 16, 1946. They put each other first, were each other's foundation and strength and shared a lifelong love that weathered tragedy, was resilient and often compassionate. Their children, Beatrice and Louise, were born in Montreal where they lived until moving to Long Island City, New York in October 1949. In late 1950 they moved to Levittown, Long Island where Frank, Christine and Ralph were born. Although Mackie loved Long Island, Jones Beach, and the Atlantic Ocean, she reluctantly left in October 1954 and moved to Pelham, New York to shorten Dr. Hertz’s commute to New York City. Their children Margaret, Henry, James, Kenneth, Dorothy, Virginia, Donald and Jennifer were born in Pelham, where Mackie and Ralph made their home until 1987.

Mackie joined the Huguenot Memorial Church in Pelham where she was on church committees and taught Sunday School for many years. Mackie also volunteered at the Split Rock School and at the Montessori Wee Wisdom School. In 1970 she earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate while working at Wee Wisdom. She went on to purchase the school and ran it until her retirement in 1986. In 1976 she earned her Masters degree in Reading and Special Education, PreK -12 from Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y. Mackie also served on the Board of Directors at St. Judes Habilitation Institute (IAHD) and was active in the Westchester Association for Retarded Children (ARC of Westchester). She advocated in New York State for the legal and educational rights of special needs children and was extremely proud when the landmark Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) was passed by Congress in 1975.

Mackie was also active in the Boy Scouts of America and was Cub Scout Den Mother for all of her sons and Pack Mother for Pack 3 in Pelham. She ran Westchester Council Roundtables and completed forward planning and leadership training for Cub Scout Leaders in the state. She was extremely proud of her 5 grandsons who went on to become Eagle Scouts.

Ralph and Mackie first came to Hawaii in 1970 to visit their Uncle Alfred and Aunt Jeanne Apaka. They fell in love with Maui. While living in Wailea they found their piece of paradise in Ulupalakua; Mooloa Farm on the lower slopes of Haleakala. They felt blessed to be able to spend the rest of their lives on the island and land they so loved where Mackie’s favorite time of the day was sunset, which she watched settle over Kahalowe, Molokini, Lanai and the West Maui Mountains each evening. In 1975 they also began construction of their summer home on the tip of Pocomo Point, Nantucket Island. There their children and grandchildren enjoyed wonderful summers on the island’s beaches, sailing in the bay and fishing from the Mackie I and, later, Mackie II, Dad’s deep sea fishing boats. They sold their Pocomo home in 1996 when the east-west commute became too much for them.

Mackie had thirteen children: Beatrice (Philip) Cleary, Louise White, Frank (Jeanne), Dr. Christine (Douglas) Wolf, Ralph (Nancy), Margaret, Henry( predeceased in 1975), James, Kenneth, Dorothy Hertz (Phil Proch), Virginia, Donald and Jennifer (Jamy) Libsack. She was blessed with thirty one grandchildren: Jennifer (T), Catherine (Mike), Christopher (Janice), Jaime, Christopher (Andrea), Thomas, Jennifer (Steve), Caroline (Dave), Laura (Ian), Jeffrey (Abby), Michael, Russell (Katie), Jessica, Mary Beth (John), Ralph, Gavin, Alicia (David), Jaquie, Trevor, Tess, Nichole ( Jason), Scott (Caren), Cameron, Brandon, Jamie (predeceased 2023), Leland, Stephen ( Amy), Nicholas, Travis, Quinton and Mackie. She also treasured her twenty five great-grandchildren: Ryan, Alexandra, Dylan, Madison, Noah, Ella, Samantha, Henry, Robert, Cameron, Viveca, Evelyn, Savannah, Kennedy, Genevieve, Patrick, Claire, Andrew, Noah, Piper, Isabella, Sebastian, Jackson, Logan and Ellis. During Mackie’s last few days she was able to receive very meaningful messages filled with love and memories from all of her family members.

Mackie’s father and mother, her grandfather Dugald Currie and grandfather and grandmother Gordon Cameron (Danding) and Edna (Tattie) Edwards, as well as her Aunt Edna Bogue and Cousin Evelyn Cleary, were beloved role models and were forever present in her heart. Mackie lived through a century of profound social, political, communication, transportation, medical and scientific change during which she was witness to many important historic events that she would recount and could discuss with context and detail. Mackie was also fortunate to meet many people of historic interest; among them Song Mei-ling, wife of Chiang Kai-Shek, Lord Tweedsmuir (John Buchan) the Governor General of Canada, King George VII and Queen Elizabeth, David Niven, the Dionne quintuplets, William Lyon Mackenzie King the PM of Canada, FDR, Churchill, Nelson Rockefeller and Ella Fitzgerald. She saw many others including Ike, Harry Houdini and Charles Lindbergh.

A celebration of life will be held at Makawao Union Church, Paia, Maui, Hawaii on Thursday, February 22nd at 2:00 P.M. A gathering for her family and friends will take place at her home in Ulupalakua following the service.