Peacefully on Wednesday May 14, 2025, Mary Bathgate McKenzie nee Mitchell passed away at the age of 98.
Mary is predeceased by her loving husband, James (Jim) and survived by her loving daughters Lois (Bob) and Esmé (Tony) and beloved granddaughters, Ellen, Hannah, Sinclair and Laurel. Mary is also survived by several nieces, nephews, great and great, great nieces and nephews in Scotland and Australia.
Mary is reunited with her parents Alexander and Margaret, sister Margaret Marshall and brother Harry Mitchell.
Mary was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and after World War II was an avid traveller spending many holidays travelling throughout Europe with her sister and friends. Mary immigrated to Toronto, Canada on June 1st, 1961, where she worked with the British Tourist Authority. It was at BTA that Mary met and made many of her lifelong friends. Mary met her husband Jim at a Ceilidh (a traditional Scottish social) and soon after married at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on September 12, 1963. Despite being a monarchist, Mary became a proud Canadian Citizen on November 25, 1975. Mary lived to see five monarchs in her lifetime beginning with George V.
After a period of time as a stay-at-home mom with Lois and Esmé, Mary returned to work and held a number of positions with the Government of Ontario. In 1992 Mary retired from her position as a Coordinator in the Adoption Unit with the Ministry of Community & Social Services where she assisted with the successful adoption of many children over the years and coordinated training for the Social Workers with the Children’s Aid Society.
Mary lived a full and independent life up until her passing. Her last visit to her beloved Edinburgh was at the age of 90. While there she enjoyed her time with her nieces Anne (Ali) and Laura, and nephew Alan, her great nieces Jenny (John), Rosie (Ross) and great, great nieces Elspeth, Jesse, and great, great nephews Finlay, Alistair, and Archie.
Mary was a long time Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs fan and never gave up on them. Mary enjoyed Bridge, Bingo and Scrabble with family and friends and loved attending the performances of the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra. Mary was an avid reader, her favourite author being Edinburgh’s Ian Rankin whom she had the pleasure of meeting in person in 2022 during his book tour in Toronto.
Mary’s family would like to extend their thanks to the Staff at Amica City Centre and the Doctors, Nurses and Staff of the Trillium Health Partners – Mississauga Site for their care and support to all of us.
A private family memorial service will be held to honour Mary.
In memory of Mary, donations can be made to the Trillium Health Partners Foundation or a charity of your own choosing.