Our beloved Mary died on Sunday April 11, 2021. She was the eldest daughter of Pat (1916 – 2017) and E. Davie Fulton (1916 – 2000). She is deeply missed by her family of nieces and nephews Emily and James Bonner, and Kate (Evan Glowacki), Daniel and Geoffrey Lockwood. For Mary, the love of her “kids” even outshone her love of her sisters and their spouses, Cynthia (Robert Bonner) and Trish (Paul Cocker). It was not that she loved her sisters and brothers in law less but rather that her warm heart had ample room to love her “kids” even more. Mary was very attached to her long time care-giver and friend Amy Cordova and relished her godmother role to Amy and Thomas’s daughter Hannah, who brought her much joy in her last years.
Mary was also a caring presence in the lives of her extended family members, including many dear cousins and their spouses and children from the Fulton, Macrae, Twomey and Guenther families. She was a lifelong source of love, support and inspiration to her sisters Trish and Cynthia.
Mary’s appreciation of the social contract binding Canadians together shaped her career path through public service positions with the federal government in Ottawa and Vancouver dealing with income maintenance programs, bilateral superannuation agreements, and health policy analysis. Her interest in the well-being of others was nurtured by mutually supportive relationships with her father Davie and her mother Pat, with whom she shared a home for the last several decades of Pat’s life. They were Mother and Daughter foremost, but friends and sympathetic social policy debaters too.
Mary’s loving and generous nature earned her many close friends from all across the country. She shared wonderful trips with her friend Faye Kert, and spent happy times with Grace Veenema, whose daughter Stephanie was another dear goddaughter. Her friend Johanna Thomas of North Vancouver stayed in close touch and supported Mary through the last part of her life.
Mary had an amazing eye for beauty and art and she collected, created and gifted others with many stunning pieces. She loved gardening and flowers and brightened many occasions with her lovely arrangements.
Alzheimer’s disease invaded Mary’s life robbing her of some of her many gifts. Her extraordinary social skills and interest in others outwitted the assault of the disease. She continued to make connections and earn the friendship of caregivers and other residents at her last home at Arbutus Care Centre in Vancouver. She enjoyed the gardens and the recreational programs. Mary loved music, and even during her most difficult times, she responded when music therapist Ryan came to play and sing her favourite songs.
The family would like to extend our gratitude to Dr. Michelle Lin and especially to Mary’s amazing nurses, and care aides at Arbutus Care Centre, for their wonderful and very compassionate care. Their kindness and good humour were a great help to Mary from the outset. During the pandemic lockdowns they not only provided physical and recreational care but they also had to take the place of family who could not visit, to alleviate the residents’ loneliness and give them a sense of being loved. Their courage, perseverance and dedication to Mary and the other residents deserve our deepest respect and thanks.
In Mary’s memory, please be kind to others, laugh often, and always support those who care for your loved ones.