(Sept 15, 1927 - May 2, 2009)
On May 2, 2009, Mary Catherine Gibson passed away peacefully at the age of 81, with family by her side.
Mary was born in Toronto and grew up in the small town of Shelburne, Ontario, with her parents Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Zinn and brother Fred.
She took her nurses’ training at the Toronto Western Hospital and graduated in 1950. She married Dr. George Gibson and moved out west to Edmonton.
In 1951 they made their home in Chilliwack. Mary has resided by her beloved mountains for the past 58 years.
Mary will be remembered for her grace, kindness and quiet personality.
She devoted her life to her family, to caring for others, and to the animals she surrounded herself with throughout her life. The years she spent with her girls and their horses were especially memorable for her.
She enjoyed her time volunteering at Valleyhaven with her close friends from the Chilliwack United Church. She had a passion for music and loved to spend her time playing classical pieces on her organ as a source of peace and tranquility.
Mary will be lovingly missed and fondly remembered by her family: brother, Fred Zinn (Vancouver); her three daughters: Jane Bleaney (Bob) of Calgary, Julie Muirhead (Larry) of Chilliwack, Wendy MacKenzie (Keith) of Langley; her grandchildren: Angela, Lindsay, Kailey, Davin, Dustin, and Shelby; and her two great-grandchildren: Ella and Alexa.
There will be a memorial service in celebration of her life at 10:00 a.m. on Sat. May 9, 2009, in the Chilliwack United Church, 45835 Spadina Ave., Chilliwack.
Those wishing to honor Mary with a charitable donation in lieu of flowers may do so through the B.C. Guide Dog Services. This charity was chosen by Mary herself, in keeping with her life-long love of dogs.