“Let your soul and spirit fly.”
– Van Morrison
Mary dared to live and loved her life. She was a caring, honest and respectful woman who wasn’t afraid to give her opinion or share with you some of her humour. She was a goal-oriented woman, not only in her private life but also professionally and even created her own bucket list! Mary had true grit: the passion and perseverance to achieve her goals. Her voice of reason will remain with all of us for years to come.
Mary Grace was born on Sunday, May 22, 1955 in Fort Erie, Ontario to parents William Joseph and Grace Aileen (Parker) Wise. She joined her older siblings Jeannette, Margaret and Ken. While growing up in Fort Erie she attended public school at Our Lady of Victory before heading off to high school at Notre Dame in Welland. In her late teens the family returned to the Chesley area where she finished her Grade 12 at Chesley District High School. In fact, the Wise family spent a great deal of time in the Chesley area during Mary’s childhood as both of her parents originated from the area.
Mary met a young man by the name of Brian Elgin Monk in May of 1973. Brian and Mary’s brother, Ken, worked together on the ships in the Great Lakes. It only took a matter of months before the couple fell in love. They often corresponded via hand written letters for each other while Brian finished his work on the ships. Brian proposed to her in Hamilton, on a boat, in November of 1973. The young couple were married at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Bentick Township on September 20, 1974. They eventually settled in Guelph, where Mary obtained her Business Administration Degree from nearby Conestogo College, and later her CHRP from the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario. Not long after, Brian and Mary welcomed their son Nathan on April 15, 1976. Mary remained at home with Nathan for a few years before starting at The Co-operators, Guelph in 1978. After 22 years with The Co-operators, she moved onto Personal Insurance in Mississauga for 3 years, then KPMG for 4 years before finishing with OpenText, Waterloo in the HR department. Mary retired in 2016.
Mary enjoyed travelling, whether it was for work or with Brian and Nathan. She experienced much of Canada, the United States and Caribbean. The family always enjoyed spending time at their cottage at Dyers Bay, Ontario. The cottage was a ‘piece of heaven’ as she would often say. It was a place of solitude where the family could get away, recharge and share a few laughs with the Dyer’s Bay neighbours, especially Bob and Karen Winters. However, her most memorable trips occurred in 2015 when she and Brian witnessed Nathan complete both the Berlin and Boston marathons. When not travelling Mary LOVED to shop! She was a self-proclaimed purseaholic, but also appreciated the finer things life that achieving her goals afforded her. She worked hard and took nothing for granted. On her 50th birthday, she finally treated herself to her top bucket list item, a 325i BMW. To her, it wasn’t a status symbol, but a symbol that she could achieve anything if she put her mind to it. Mary also cared deeply for her beloved Golden Retrievers, whether it was Chelsea, Karley or their current four-legged friend Maddy. Another passion of Mary’s was interior design, and boy was she good at it too. We all know what her joy was when Brian and herself built their current home in Elora in 1994. She also loved music. It had to be Paul McCartney, The Stones, Van Morrison or Andrea Bochelli. Many of these artists she saw in person, including The Rolling Stones at the infamous SARSFest Toronto. She was famous for her chicken wings and enjoyed The Food Network, HGTV and who could forget Saturday Night Live.
Mary was a fighter. She was our own ‘Terry Fox’ who battled stage four cancer for five years. Mary left a legacy for cancer research carried on by her oncologist Dr. Califaretti who teaches her case to new medical professionals based on her clinic trial results and journey. This will help countless others continue their battle and carry-on Mary’s legacy for years to come. Mary’s direct contribution included an incredible $11,500 with her sisters and friends at Princess Margaret Hospital’s annual ‘Walk for Cancer. The team (aptly named: Grace & Co.), walked 30 km for cancer research. She never gave up, trying several different treatments and always made the most of each and every day.
Sadly, Mary passed away at home surrounded by her loving family on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 in her 63rd year.
Cherished wife of Brian. Beloved mother of Nathan of Toronto. Mary will be sadly missed by her siblings Jeannette (Skip) Armstrong of Calgary, Margaret (Richard) Simons of Fort Erie and Ken (Cathy) Wise of St. Catharines. Loving daughter-in-law of Elgin and Pearl Monk of Hanover. Mary will be missed by the entire Monk family as well as her many friends. She was predeceased by her parents William and Grace (Parker) Wise.
A memorial service honouring Mary’s life and her faith will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 1 p.m. with a celebration of her life to follow. Spring inurnment in St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery, Bentinck Township.
Memorial donations to the Grand River Regional Cancer Centre would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
