It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Mary Louise Crichton on December 14, 2022 who was taken from us much too early in a tragic motor vehicle incident in Phuket, Thailand.
Mary and her twin brother, Robert, were born on November 29, 2002 in Vancouver BC to their proud parents W. Todd and Carol Crichton. The family home is in Kitsilano and Mary and Robert loved exploring their community and the local beaches. Mary loved the water and swam in the ocean and the pool whenever she could regardless of the season. She was so proud of getting her scuba diving certificate when she was only 14 years old.
Mary was an extremely active person that loved the outdoors. She loved gymnastics as a small girl but found her passion in playing soccer in grade 4 and continued right through grade 12. Mary played center and everyone loved watching her chase the ball down the field as she had the longest legs that could move as fast as a gazelle. Mary played at the higher levels for VanU Soccer and also for the Kitsilano High School Team. Her love for the outdoors also included walking along the beach or hiking in the mountains or along the coastline with her family and friends. At 15 she was proud to have accomplished the West Coast Trail with her family. Mary loved creating cherished memories with her friends by planning ski trips, bungee jumping adventures and camping trips that resulted in many shared laughs and memories for all.
Mary thrived during her elementary years at General Gordon and graduated from Kitsilano High School in 2020 where she was recognized for her outstanding marks by receiving the Kitsilano Secondary School Gold Crest Principal’s List and two Provincial Scholarships: BC Achievement Scholarship and District/Authority Scholarship. She was so proud when she got accepted into Sciences at the University of British Columbia and was working towards her Undergraduate Degree in Biology. Beyond her outstanding marks, her passion and love of science and biology traversed all aspects of her life. In August 2022, Mary was accepted to study abroad for a term at the University of Sydney, a longstanding dream. She loved her time abroad as it allowed her to immerse herself in the culture and the education enabled her to learn about that native wildlife at the Topango Zoo. Her time away made her realize that despite her travel-lust heart, her home was Vancouver where she could live close to her family and friends.
Mary loved exploring the world and had an adventurous soul. Mary, although only 20, had already explored Hawaii, Mexico, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Florida, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Florence, England, Trinidad, Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. Mary found family in the people she met and she impacted all those around her with laughter, adventure and overwhelming love. It did not surprise anyone that after her term abroad she wanted to explore Thailand before meeting her family in Bali. Her unfortunate accident prevented this family reunion.
Mary was a true leader that was driven for success from a very early age. This drive led her to be extremely organized so that she could juggle working at Urban Puppy every weekend, volunteering at Children’s Hospital in the Research department, and achieving high marks in her full time studies at UBC while still making time for family and friends.
Mary will always be remembered for her kind, caring, loving, compassion towards others and especially dogs. Mary also had an infectious laugh that could be heard from blocks away and all that met her felt her love for life. She provided her brother and friends with great advice and was always able to find ways to inspire them to achieve more or help lift them up when they were down. Her brave spirit was radiant to all those who were lucky enough to cross her path. The world has lost a special person that gave much hope for the next generation.
Mary is survived by her parents, W. Todd and Carol Crichton; her twin brother, Robert Crichton who was her life friend; and the family dog Rafiki who she loved more than anything. She is also survived by her grandparents Grant and Marian Harris and Louise Crichton and predeceased by her grandpa Donald Crichton. Mary is also survived by many Aunties, Uncles and Cousins that loved her deeply.
Mary will be missed by her three best friends Morgan Abele, Anzara Vieira-Malinowski and Hannah Chipps-Smith who wish to carry her adventurous spirit, love of learning and compassion towards all throughout their lives. There are many more friends in both Vancouver and around the world who Mary treasured all throughout her very short life.
We are all devastated to lose our beloved Mary and will miss her every day for the rest of our lives but we feel wildly lucky to have had the chance to love this adventurous, intelligent, full of life and happy young woman called Mary Louise Crichton.
Celebration of Life: The Family is holding a Private Celebration of Life for Mary on January 7th, 2023. Please light a candle in memory of Mary.
Donations in Lieu of Flowers: Donations can be made in dedication of Mary Louise Crichton to the following charities that were special to her: BC Children’s Hospital Research where she actively volunteered - Tribute page and Donation Link https://www.bcchf.ca/MaryLouiseCrichton and Save Elephant Foundation in Chang Mai Thailand where she visited on her trip, www.spot.fund/saveElephantFoundation , please add "In Memory of Mary Crichton".