MARY SUTER
Mary Elsie Suter (née Kerst) of Kincardine passed away, surrounded by family and trusted friends, on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, at the age of 96.
Beloved wife of the late Harry Suter (1999).
Dear mother of Crystal (Steve Kirk) Pace of Mississauga, Ellen (Robert Mitchell) Suter of Bentley, Alberta, Janine Millman of Ottawa, Harriet (Bob Walker) Suter of Kincardine and Scott (Catherine) Suter of Newmarket.
Cherished by her grandchildren AJ, Shelley, Mike, Christina, Britney, Bill, Emily and RJ as well as her great-grandchildren Jade, Bobby, Logan, Damian and Kelsey.
Also missed by the Suter family and her cousins in the United States.
Predeceased by her parents Leo and Mary Kerst and sons-in-law Albert Pace and Steve Millman.
Mary was born in Toronto and raised – with her beloved brother Jim as well as her late sister Leona and late brother Bill – in Richmond Hill, where she lived until 2017. She became the office manager of her father’s tool and die shop in Toronto. After the Second World War, she fell in love with a dashing young aircraft mechanic who had just returned from England; he was impressed that she knew what a micrometer was, as well as admiring her kindness and fashionable good looks.
They married in 1947 and built their house on Langstaff Road themselves, with the help of family members, buying the building materials paycheque by paycheque. They did not want to be saddled by a mortgage. They raised five children and innumerable pets at Langstaff. Mary stayed in her beloved home, even after her husband died, until the age of 91. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the many relatives who visited and her good friends. Next to the people she loved and her pets, her favourite things were her trees, her perennial and vegetable gardens (where many times she strolled with visitors) and her African violets.
In 1966, Mary and Harry bought a lot on Twelve Mile Bay and built a family cottage that gave all of the family many good times and fond memories of swimming, sun and wonderful steak barbecues. They also enjoyed travelling to Barbados, Florida, Alaska and the East Coast.
Two years ago, Mary moved to Trillium Court in Kincardine, where she enjoyed a rich life and got outdoors often with the help of family – most recently at the 2018 Christmas parade. She enjoyed field trips, the entertainment, touring the gardens in the area and just sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. She loved visiting Harriet and Bob’s home and garden, the company of her dear best friend Jean Campbell, and the wonderful staff at Trillium Court who truly became her trusted extended family. She always had a smile on her face, a joke on her lips and a kind word for everyone around her.
Heartfelt thanks are extended to Trillium Court staff, especially the wonderful, caring nurses and personal aids, to the Kincardine hospital staff, Dr. Gurbin, Retire-at-Home and Kincardine Palliative Care volunteers.
A private family service will take place. Portrait and memorial available online at www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com.
Final resting place: Zion Lutheran Church in Maple.
In lieu of flowers and to honour Mary’s way of life, please be kind to someone who is lonely or needs help. She would have appreciated such a gesture.