Mary Ann Brady

Mary Ann Brady died peacefully in her 91st year the morning of September 2, 2023 in London, Ontario.

Adored wife for 67 years of William (Bill) Brady, Mary Ann was the beloved mother of Linda Barnard (Hans) and Laura Pate and devoted grandmother of Laura’s sons Matthew and Mark (Whitney) Medeiros and proud great-grandmother of Nate and Alexandra Medeiros. Mary Ann is also survived by Mark and Martha Parry, Hon. Douglas Brady (Isabelle) of St. Croix USVI, Keith Brady (Debbie) of Wilmington Delaware and their families, as well as family in Windsor.

Mary Ann was Bill’s greatest supporter and steadfast partner. In many ways, his work was her work because she lived her life according to the demands of his career. She was devoted to Bill, their family and the home life they built together. She was justifiably proud of her skills as a homemaker.

Mary Ann grew up across the street from the St. Clair River in Port Lambton, Ontario with her parents John and Marjorie (Merrill) Fugler and older sister Nancy (Parry). From childhood, the river was an enduring part of her life. She swam and fished in summer and skated in winter.

She worked at her dad’s bowling alley in nearby Wallaceburg in exchange for a chance to bowl for free. On a whim, teenage Mary Ann dropped in at the local golf course on the way home from work one summer afternoon, played nine holes, and decided it was for her. It began her lifelong passion for the game. Mary Ann was a member of the London Hunt and Country Club and was a skilled golfer. When she beat Bill on the course, he occasionally accepted it with grace.

She was an enthusiastic, curious traveller who saw much of the world with Bill and she made friends from Norway to New Zealand as a result. She and Bill marked milestones with travel, including a cruise to Alaska with their family to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Mary Ann loved telling people how long she’d been married and seeing their impressed reaction.

Her pie crusts and lasagna were legendary and her holiday walnut crescent cookies recipe appeared in several cookbooks. Mary Ann adored cats, songbirds and flowers. Being in nature was her greatest joy. But even those passions paled next to Christmas. She loved Christmas like nobody else, to the point where Bill established a rule that she couldn’t haul out the decorations before the end of November. She ignored it. Wreaths, candles and angels would start to magically appear, especially if it snowed.

Hundreds of London newborns were swaddled in the soft baby blankets Mary Ann knitted for donations as one of the Knit Wits at Metropolitan United Church. She was also on the meat pie-making brigade for the church Yuletide Fair, where the strict six-pie limit for the much-loved savoury mini pies even extended to family. She also volunteered at the TVCC (Thames Valley Children’s Centre), Victoria Hospital and University Hospital.

Her knitting basket was never far from her and Mary Ann knitted everything from argyle socks to sweaters for lucky recipients. She wasn’t a fan of making left turns behind the wheel, or pumping her own gas, but she was very proud of the fact she got her driver’s licence at age 15, beating her older sister Nancy to the achievement. It gave her the freedom to drive to work at a Wallaceburg bank, where she quickly rose to chief teller. That wasn’t a surprise, considering Mary Ann was a math whiz. That came in handy when she started doing the books for daughter Laura’s Cakewalkers Bakery on King St.

Mary Ann was the family historian. She was fashionable, beautiful, generous to her family and friends and a terrific hostess. A cold glass of Pinot Grigio was her go-to. She cried when she said goodbye to people she loved (and sometimes when she said hello), when she heard sentimental music and even at parades.

The family would like to thank the VON, Dr. Kirk Hamilton, Dr. Faisal Rehman and Dr. Marko Mrkobrada for their compassion.

Cremation has taken place. At Mary Ann’s request, there will be no funeral. A family memorial gathering will take place at a later date. Interment will be at McDonald Memorial Cemetery, Port Lambton. Mary Ann’s great-grandfather John Duncan McDonald established the cemetery in the 19th century. It’s not far from her beloved St. Clair River.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in memory of Mary Ann be made to the London Community Foundation, a charity of your choice, or pour a glass of white wine, knit a row, bake a perfect pie crust and listen to the birds.