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Obituary
Mary Paul passed peacefully at Golden Birches Terrace in Blind River Ontario after a long life. Mary was 92 years old and leaves behind her daughter Eva (Mark Whitmore) and son Richard (Monica); her younger sister (Susie Vidovic); her husband (John) and her older brother (Andy) are both pre-deceased. Devoted grandmother of Lauren and Tyler Paul, Kim and Dale Whitmore, and great-grandmother of Eric Whitmore Dymond.
Mary was born and raised in Deutsch Zepling, Romania. During WWII, at age 11, she and her family fled by wagon train to Austria, where she later met John Paul, a friend of her brother. After John emigrated to Canada, she joined him in Waterdown and was married in Canada at age 18. Eva was born a year later, and Richard joined the family 16 years after that.
Mary was a remarkable woman – both caring and enterprising. Despite English becoming her second language as an adult, and her lack of much formal education, over time she started and ran three businesses in Waterdown (a café, a travel agency, and a health food store). She was also a dedicated volunteer throughout her entire life. She first became a Guide leader, a Guide District Governor, and then a Ranger leader, among other things taking her Ranger troupe to Canada’s Centennial in Montreal in 1967. She then branched out and over the years enjoyed working with seniors, with the homeless, with youth, with addiction programs, and with prison inmates. She volunteered first in Waterdown, then when she moved to Kitchener, then after her move to Sault Ste Marie. At her home in Luther Village in Kitchener, she was awarded “Citizen of the Year” in 2012. Mary converted to a born-again Christian in her fifties, which gave her great comfort and a network of friends. In her seventies, she traveled with a church group of teenagers to volunteer at an orphanage in Romania. As she aged, her greatest regret was no longer being able to continue to help others.
For many years Mary enjoyed her time at the family cottage on Paint Lake near Dorset ON. She enjoyed swimming very much, though she was very frightened of putting her head underwater. As a testament to her indomitable spirit, she nonetheless water-skied once – just to show Rick that she COULD do it!
Mary will be missed, but not forgotten. Her dedication to others is an inspiration to all who have known her. We would like to thank the staff and nurses at Golden Birches Terrace in Blind River ON for their kind and thorough care of Mary in her last year and days.
Friends will be received at KITCHING, STEEPE & LUDWIG FUNERAL HOME, 146 Mill St., N., Waterdown ON, on Monday, May 22 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. A private family graveside service will be held at Waterdown Union Cemetery. Please no flowers. Donations in lieu of flowers, if desired, may be made to the Soup Kitchen Community Centre, 172 James Street, Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A 1W3. Please sign the Tribute Wall at kitchingsteepeandludwig.com
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April 15 1931
May 5 2023
Death notice for the town of: Waterdown, Province: Ontario
death notice Maria Mary Paul nee Grum April 15 1931
May 5 2023
obituaries notice Maria Mary Paul nee Grum April 15 1931
May 5 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Maria Mary Paul nee Grum April 15 1931
May 5 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
