Mary passed away peacefully surrounded by family and her cat Magic at home in Toronto, on Saturday, 7th September 2024 at the age of 94. Mary was predeceased by her beloved husband North, her brother Alan Bruce-Robertson, and sister Lorraine Hovey Sutherland. She leaves behind her six Lewis children, Eve, Suzie, Catherine, Duncan (Ann), Michelle Cassidy and Nikki (Gerard), as well as her grandchildren, Taylor, Brodie, Stratton, Aaron, Melissa, Evan, Graham, Larissa, Oliver, Jack, Charlotte, James and Guy, and great-grandchildren, Parker, Winston, Spencer and Cameron.
Mary was born in 1930 in Toronto to Dr Duncan and Mrs Enid Graham, who gave her a love of the outdoors and a sense of adventure. When she was 11 years old, Mary was in a serious car accident, which meant she spent the next three years having multiple surgeries and both legs in casts (she is a medical marvel). Luckily, her parents were in the exact right professions to support her recovery - one of the nation’s preeminent doctors and the woman who brought physiotherapy to Canada. Mary never let this hold her back, even managing to ski with her casts on. She overcame the challenges in life with both grace and determination, and rarely complained about any pain she felt. She loved nothing more than being outdoors and active, whether skiing, scuba diving, playing golf, watersports or being in the mountains.
In 1953, she married Jack Lewis, the father of her six children. Life was indeed busy. Mary welcomed everyone into her home and life with open arms — she was ‘Mrs Lew’ and then ‘Mary’ to her children’s friends. She was one of the earliest members at Devil’s Glen ski club and instilled a love of skiing in her family.
Mary began a new chapter in 1980 when she moved to Calgary and married her soulmate, North Hogarth. This was an incredibly happy time for them both, skiing in the Rockies and travelling all over Western Canada and USA in their Winnebago.
Moving back east, Mary led an active retirement in Muskoka and Toronto - she loved visiting friends, playing bridge (including tournaments) and golf and going on opera and skating tours. Her greatest gift was being an involved and supportive grandmother. She loved to spend time with all her grandchildren and regularly took trips to the UK and USA to visit her grandchildren there.
In her later years, she literally travelled the world, getting to over 100 countries, never letting her age hold her back. The bucket list just got longer and longer.
Mary was willing to do just about anything for those she loved, often driving hours to help a friend. She will be remembered for her social, outgoing personality, sheer love of life, infectious laugh and love of all things colourful — she even wore head-to-toe fuschia pink on safari.
The family would like to thank her caregiver, Lyneth, as well as the staff at Belmont House, for their care and compassion over the years. A private family memorial will take place at a future date.