MARY MORRIS

(née Baxter)

 

Mary Morris, age 70, passed away peacefully on Monday, August 17, 2015 at the Victoria General Hospital, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, after courageously living with cancer.

 

Mary is survived by her spouse Rodger; daughter Laury (Ron); sons Steven and Rick (Sylvia); grandchildren Erica (Gonzalo), Jenny (Jenni), Brittany (Ben), Katie, Carter and Joshua; great-grandchildren Elliot and Charlie; sisters Judy, Pat, Kathie and Debbie (Ray); brothers Jim (Penny), Trevor (Gaye), David (Marina), John (Elaine) and Don and many nieces, nephews and other relatives. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gordon and Ethel Baxter and brothers-in-law John Hanson and Tim Thurston.

 

Mary was born in New Westminster, BC on the 18th day of October, 1944 to Gordon and Ethel (Kirk) Baxter. She grew up in Winnipeg and married Rodger in 1962.  Together they raised three children and over the years had many business ventures.  When we think about Mary we always think of words like strength, courage, determination or strong-willed… all the words that caused us to admire her and, at times be in awe of her.  We remember how she would never give up and how she fought until there literally wasn’t an ounce of fight left in her.

 

Along with a fighting spirit Mary was also very creative and artistic.  She could take a piece of fabric, a ball of wool or a piece of wood and work with it until it was a beautiful dress, a baby’s blanket or a sign that hung in someone’s house, representing the homeowner perfectly.  She could draw portraits of those she loved or landscapes which always seemed to hold deep meaning to those who received them.  She wrote her own poetry and loved to do house repairs.  She was physically very strong and would carry and move things that someone her size just shouldn’t have been able to.  She was also very funny and could find humor in everything which always seemed to lighten the mood or ease a tense moment.  Even in her last days, she would still joke about the situation.

 

Mary loved to shop, particularly in thrift stores, and would bring new life to the treasures she found.  Later in life she discovered a love of travelling.  She was very kind and would seek out the good in everyone, even those that she didn’t know personally.  Nurses and health-care workers walked away from her hospital room feeling better about themselves than they did when they entered her room. 

 

Mary’s relationship with her children and grandchildren was something to be admired.  She had a meaningful relationship with each of them, accepting and loving each of them for who they were.  She pulled from their strength to help her through the toughest times. 

 

Mary was a devoted Friend, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother and she will be dearly missed by anyone who knew her.

 

Cremation has taken place and a private memorial service will be held.

 

In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions, in Mary's memory be made to CancerCare Manitoba.

 

The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff at the Health Sciences Centre, CancerCare Manitoba and the Victoria General Hospital for their professional and compassionate care of Mary when she needed it most. Special thanks to Claudette and Deline from the chemo-unit at the Victoria Hospital for their care and compassion and for often going above and beyond the call of duty.