Nature Vancouver

It is with sad hearts that we announce the sudden passing of Mary at Lions Gate Hospital, North Vancouver on July 31st, 2008. Predeceased by her husband, David, in 1998, brother, Jack and sister, Kathleen; she will be fondly remembered by her surviving siblings, William (known as Ed), Sheila and Janette, all her family in Scotland and Canada and friends and colleagues worldwide. Born to a farming family in Luthermuir in Eastern Scotland in 1922, Mary was the eldest of six children. After training to be a teacher at Aberdeen University she taught briefly in Quebec then following her marriage to David in 1949 they emigrated to Canada and finally to Vancouver. A change in profession led Mary to graduate in 1963 with a Bachelor of Library Science from the University of British Columbia. From 1968 until her retirement in 1985 she was head librarian at the MacMillan Library at UBC. Along with her husband, Mary was very active in outdoor pursuits particularly mountaineering and hiking. Together they co-authored the very popular books 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia and 109 Walks in British Columbia's Lower Mainland which she has continued to revise and update over the years. The natural world was her great love and her presence and knowledge of the outdoors will be greatly missed by those lucky enough to have hiked beside her on the trails. Besides being a world traveller, Mary was also an active tennis player and Scottish Country Dancer. She contributed and had an interest in the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University and in the care and treatment of people with dementia. Many thanks to the staff in the E.R., ICU and to Dr. K. Cunningham and Dr. J. Imrie of Lions Gate Hospital. No funeral at Mary's request. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

 

A celebration of Mary's life will be held on Saturday, October 18th from 4.30pm - 7.00pm, in the West Vancouver Senior's Centre.  The address is 695 - 21st. Street, West Vancouver. Anyone wishing to say a few words about Mary at that event may contact Trudy Taylor at  trudytaylor5@yahoo.ca 604-988-8802.