In loving memory ~ The world is a little dimmer these days, as a firecracker has left us. She leaves behind Eric, her husband of 69 years (almost made it to 70!); five children; seven grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and her brother, John. Waiting for her on the other side are her loving parents, Jack and Hazel; her adored stepmother, Nona; her little brother, Bob; her daughter-in-law Janice; and her grandson, Daniel. Mary Lou joyfully burst into the world on November 18, 1933 — bagpipes in hand and dance shoes on her feet. She grew up in Victoria, where her shenanigans included tap dancing (she even performed for the troops during the war as a child!) and dominating both the basketball court and the track at Mount View High School. Mary began playing the bagpipes at a young age and was proud to be part of the Victoria Girls Pipe Band in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In those early years, a Victoria taxi company paid Mary and her best friend to pipe in the Inner Harbour to welcome tourists. The tourists loved them, but some local office workers complained, and it turned into quite the controversy — making headlines across the province! One of the headlines read, "Victoria's Skirling Lassies Silenced by Victoria Police Chief!" The story prompted dozens of letters to the editor criticizing the chief's decision. Mary continued to pipe well into her late 80s, marching with the Cowichan Pipes and Drums. After high school, Mary attended St. Joseph's Nursing School, where she excelled. She loved her nursing education and career and was deeply proud of her work. She spent many years on the paediatric ward at Cowichan District Hospital, where her dedication and compassion touched countless families — and she famously never took a single sick day. Near the end of nursing school, a friend set her up on a blind date with Eric. When Eric arrived to pick up Mary, she opened the door — and it was love at first sight. He was so taken by her raven-black hair and striking blue eyes. From that moment on, they only had eyes for each other. Eric and Mary married on May 6, 1956, and Mary was a beautiful bride. They settled in Victoria and soon had three boys in three years — Ronald (Sharlene), Michael (Lynn), and Gordon — all August babies! They definitely had their hands full, and Mary's nursing background came in extremely handy. The meticulous notes she kept in their individual baby books are a sight to behold. In 1961, the family moved to Duncan, and a few years later came Kathleen (Norm), then Karen rounded out the family. The family was deeply involved in baseball, soccer, and, of course, the Highland community. Mary was also a talented seamstress — she likely sewed at least two-thirds of the kilts in the Cowichan Valley. She volunteered for many years with the Cowichan Music Festival and served as its historian. Mary was an exceptional artist, and her ceramic work was renowned for its exquisite attention to detail. Though she claimed to hate gardening, Mary was cursed with an extraordinarily green thumb. Her garden was always beautiful — full of vegetables, fruit trees, and sweet peas — no matter how much she grumbled about it. Mary's curiosity and sense of adventure took her and the family far beyond Vancouver Island. There were many camping trips along the West Coast, as well as journeys to Alaska, Ireland, and Scotland. Later in life, Mary and Eric were active in the local Heart and Stroke Walking Club, taking countless trips all over the Island with friends from the group. She made excellent peanut butter cookies, a top-notch turkey dinner, and a phenomenal Christmas pudding with both rum and hard sauce. Her jams and applesauce were legendary, as were her stewed pears and blackberry pie. And she made really good grilled cheese sandwiches. Mary and Eric were both very social, and their house was always full of people coming and going. Family would stop by for a visit, and before long Mary would say, "How about a grilled cheese?" She'd haul out the griddle and make plate after plate of sandwiches — always with pickles on the side. She loved the holidays, and the house was always fully decked out with her Christmas ceramics and a sprawling Christmas village, carols playing on repeat. Her Christmas trees were legendary — she loved a really full one. Each year, she'd send Eric out into the bush to find the biggest tree possible, which inevitably turned out to be too big for the house. This would lead to Mary requesting that Eric cut the top few feet off (never the bottom), resulting in a squat, full tree with plenty of branches — and even more room for presents underneath. Mary's passing leaves a tremendous void in the family. Her spirit will live on in the sound of the pipes, the scent of sweet peas, and the laughter from countless stories around our kitchen tables for years to come. A celebration of Mary's life will be held on April 11, 2026, at the Duncan Christian Reformed Church.
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