Obituary for Mary Josephine Harper (Daly)
Mary Harper
April 11, 1929 – April 22, 2020
Mary Harper died peacefully at Toronto’s Humber Heights Retirement Village April 22, leaving this earth on her own terms, at her chosen time.
She was a loving mother to sons Tim and Dan of Toronto, devoted mother-in-law to Heather Pegg and adoring grandmother to Shaylyn of New York and Calista of Toronto.
Her loss is also greatly felt by Shaylyn’s fiancé Andrew Witzke of New York and Rita Mezzanotte of Toronto, and her memory is honoured by Madison MacDonald, husband Jay Ramak and Emma, Annalise, Wilhelmina and Harrison of Maple Ridge, B.C.
She is pre-deceased by her brother, Tom Daly of Burlington.
Mary brought the charm of her Irish ancestry and a dry humour to every stop along her journey of life. She used a sharp, incisive wit to amuse and cajole and a talent for a withering roll of the eyes to good-naturedly bring inflated egos to heel.
She was known as a pre-pubescent rebel at Hamilton’s Loretto Academy, a self-confessed, but rather inept truant.
That was the early sign of a fierce streak of independence that Mary never lost to her final days.
As a young woman, she made her mark as a fashion model, before turning to raising a family with husband John Harper, following him during a professional football career.
But that fierce independence led her to branch out on her own, finding success as a women’s fashion consultant in Hamilton, returning to the workforce after more than two decades at home.
She could pronounce with conviction and expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays or Raptors and was a keen observer of the politics of the day, puncturing a poseur, dismissing a flash in the pan or dissecting public policy with reason and ever-present empathy.
In her Hamilton neighbourhood in recent years, she was a matriarch and it appeared the entire neighbourhood looked after their Mary.
She could make you laugh, she could make you think, but, always, she would make you smile.
In her final months, she continued to complete the weekend crossword puzzles (in ink) with lightning speed and nightly wagered her hefty winnings on Final Jeopardy, regularly doubling her money from her perch in her Humber Heights apartment.
Her life was one of grand accomplishments, but no accomplishment ever eclipsed her legacy of loving, doting parent and grandparent. To her final moments, she remained that parent and grandparent, focusing her worries and concerns on her children and grandchildren even if she was in discomfort herself. Hers was not to complain and she formed a special bond with her caregivers.
The family would like to sincerely thank the management and the kind and indefatigable staff of Humber Heights who gave Mary comfort as her family was forced to offer love from afar. Eden Basco treated our beloved Mary as if she was her own mother.
A celebration of Mary’s life will be held when we get past the current state of affairs which, sadly, make grieving difficult.
April 11, 1929 – April 22, 2020
Mary Harper died peacefully at Toronto’s Humber Heights Retirement Village April 22, leaving this earth on her own terms, at her chosen time.
She was a loving mother to sons Tim and Dan of Toronto, devoted mother-in-law to Heather Pegg and adoring grandmother to Shaylyn of New York and Calista of Toronto.
Her loss is also greatly felt by Shaylyn’s fiancé Andrew Witzke of New York and Rita Mezzanotte of Toronto, and her memory is honoured by Madison MacDonald, husband Jay Ramak and Emma, Annalise, Wilhelmina and Harrison of Maple Ridge, B.C.
She is pre-deceased by her brother, Tom Daly of Burlington.
Mary brought the charm of her Irish ancestry and a dry humour to every stop along her journey of life. She used a sharp, incisive wit to amuse and cajole and a talent for a withering roll of the eyes to good-naturedly bring inflated egos to heel.
She was known as a pre-pubescent rebel at Hamilton’s Loretto Academy, a self-confessed, but rather inept truant.
That was the early sign of a fierce streak of independence that Mary never lost to her final days.
As a young woman, she made her mark as a fashion model, before turning to raising a family with husband John Harper, following him during a professional football career.
But that fierce independence led her to branch out on her own, finding success as a women’s fashion consultant in Hamilton, returning to the workforce after more than two decades at home.
She could pronounce with conviction and expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays or Raptors and was a keen observer of the politics of the day, puncturing a poseur, dismissing a flash in the pan or dissecting public policy with reason and ever-present empathy.
In her Hamilton neighbourhood in recent years, she was a matriarch and it appeared the entire neighbourhood looked after their Mary.
She could make you laugh, she could make you think, but, always, she would make you smile.
In her final months, she continued to complete the weekend crossword puzzles (in ink) with lightning speed and nightly wagered her hefty winnings on Final Jeopardy, regularly doubling her money from her perch in her Humber Heights apartment.
Her life was one of grand accomplishments, but no accomplishment ever eclipsed her legacy of loving, doting parent and grandparent. To her final moments, she remained that parent and grandparent, focusing her worries and concerns on her children and grandchildren even if she was in discomfort herself. Hers was not to complain and she formed a special bond with her caregivers.
The family would like to sincerely thank the management and the kind and indefatigable staff of Humber Heights who gave Mary comfort as her family was forced to offer love from afar. Eden Basco treated our beloved Mary as if she was her own mother.
A celebration of Mary’s life will be held when we get past the current state of affairs which, sadly, make grieving difficult.