Mary POUSHINSKY

1922 - 2023

MARY POUSHINSKY 'May' (nee Macdonald) Reports of her death are not greatly exaggerated On Valentine's Day, Mom/Baba passed away peacefully with her daughter, Barbara; and two of her many grandchildren, Natasha and Katya, at her side. She was 100 years old. May lived a big life. Born in Aberdeen on May 30, 1922, completing her schooling in Tomintoul and Fettercairn, May later trained in Domestic Science and Teaching at Robert Gordon College in Aberdeen. May met and married RCAF Officer, Anatole Poushinsky (Poush), in Scotland in 1944 and moved to join him, in Calgary, in 1945. She felt so lucky and proud to be Canadian. May and Poush had four children in Canada: Nick (Bobbi), Greg (Barbara), Jennifer (Sir Jim) and Barbara (Jeffrey). She was loved by 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, all of whom revolved around the 'sun' that was Baba. May was the glue for a family that resides in many countries and on several continents. Her home of nearly 70 years in Ottawa, where she lived and died, was the gathering point for family and friends, of whom she had many - she forged and sustained relationships that lasted for decades. This was because she was truly interested in learning about every person that she encountered, and remembered the most minute details of everyone's lives. May loved her crosswords, always querying her children and grandchildren about how they did in the morning Globe puzzles. She leaves a legacy of propriety (she was, after all, Scottish), strength, and love (the Scottish kind), and an honest and straightforward approach to life and to death. She believed that all we can do is our best. And that wine should be had every day around 5 o'clock (a bit earlier in extraordinary situations). It does not seem possible that she is gone. Now it is our turn to live as courageously, honestly, and lovingly as May lived, and to remember the happy moments that so often occurred at the big table when family joined in her love, and a game of Yahtzee or two. May requested that in lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to celebrate her could do so through a donation to the CNIB or to Operation Smile. Arrangements are by Kelly Funeral Home, Walkley Chapel.