Mary Hannah Isabel Gee

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our precious mum and grandma Mary Hannah Isabel Gee (Day). A self professed “tough old bird”, she kicked cancer in the butt three times, survived a stroke, a completely blocked carotid artery, and lived with a rare colitis and arthritis seemingly in every joint. After five stints in hospital this past year with unrelenting aspiration pneumonia, she beat the odds, defied Dr’s expectations again and again, and fought her way home to us. We are so proud how hard she battled this one last time but sadly she passed away on February 10th, 2023, surrounded by love, after giving all she had.

Mum had the greenest of thumbs and could seemingly grow anything – especially a variety of orchids. She would come home from our winter trips to Asia in the 70s and 80s with exotic seeds and cuttings wrapped in Kleenex, most of which would grow into mystery plants and flowers. She enjoyed travel but especially enjoyed our annual visits to see family in England, where she would come home with a designer handbag and antiques she picked up along the way.

She was one of those mums that your friends really liked and if you were a friend of mine, you were an extension of our family. While not the most confident driver (she used the brake pedal more than the gas pedal and had studded winter tires on 8 months out of the year - just in case of a surprise snow fall), she would pack 15 kids into her Monza hatchback and drive each kid home and wait until they flicked a light to let her know they were safely inside. She relished the times where we would have movie nights on Allison Avenue, and she would flitter around in the kitchen making individual pizzas for everyone.

As great of a mum she was, she excelled even more at being a Grandma. She loved a house packed full of kids so when her grandkids had friends over, she always had snacks and a never ending supply of candy on hand. When not spoiling her grandkids, she was spoiling her many dogs and cats she had over the years. The fact all her pets lived until their teens was proof, in her eyes, that a fat pet was a happy pet, and boy were her pets happy.

Mum and I took a road trip together every year until her arthritis robbed her of reliable mobility. Usually our trips centred around shopping, a casino, good food, and a lot of fun. She was a night owl who was usually the last to bed and rarely said no to a night cap. She never embraced our family’s passion for sports, but would happily turn off the BBC or the game show network to watch a hockey, baseball, or football game with us. Time with family meant everything, even if she had to endure watching a game she had no interest in.

Mum was predeceased by her parents and brothers; her husband Wilf; close niece and nephew Ivy Wigley (Derek) and Jim Day (Monica), and our beloved Auntie Tot. She is survived by her loving daughter Leah (Kelly) nieces and nephews, and her greatest joy, her grandchildren Madison and Riley.

Mum was fortunate and remained sharp as a tack and laughed until the very end. She oozed unconditional love and told us daily how much she loved us, and how lucky she was to share a home where she could watch her grandchildren grow up. We take comfort in knowing that wherever she is now, she is pain free, playing bingo, having a room temperature glass of boxed white wine (she had terrible taste in wine, but she knew what she liked), and watching over us.

You will forever be missed and forever be our light.