Mary IVERSEN

IVERSEN, Hazel Mary (nee Molson)
Peacefully on Tuesday the 10th of September, 2013 in her 90th year, surrounded by family. She was the beloved wife of James ('Jim'), loving mother to Christine, Erik (Gillian Ferrabee), Dee Dee (Paul Dyer) Stuart (Anouk), and Jay. Adored grandmother of Sarah and Rachel, Nicholas, Emmalee and Leif, Patrick, Zoe, Jonathan and Amy, Adam and Alexis. A wonderful great grandmother to Hazel, Isaac, Willa and Noah. She is survived by her brothers David and Peter Molson, and predeceased by her brother William. Mary was born in Montreal, the second of John and Hazel Molson's four children. She attended Saint George's School and King's Hall Compton. After graduation she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, Eastern Air Command (Dartmouth) where she was a radar plotter. It was there (and during her Compton years) Mary met many of her closest friends whom she kept all her life. After WWII, she graduated from McGill University. On September 24, 1947, Mary married James Eric Iversen and together they had five children. An avid skier, Mary enjoyed many wonderful years with family and friends on the slopes of Hill 70 and elsewhere in the St Sauveur valley at the family home on the Simon River Road. Mary had grown up spending weekends Up North with her own family, and it was also here that she and Jim met and courted. Mary and Jim maintained a lifelong connection with the area and its community. Mary was also an enthusiastic tennis player and lover of sports and the arts. She was a regular volunteer at the Montreal Children's Hospital throughout her life. She gave her time and love to her church, especially St Francis-of-the-Birds (St Sauveur), St George's (Metis Beach), and more recently St Matthias. Mary was a generous donor to many organizations, though perhaps the most meaningful for her was the SPCA. Mary's true love was the musical theatre. She produced, directed and acted in the Metis Cabaret over a period of 60 years and was never happier than when organizing the show. In doing so, Mary left a wonderful legacy of music, mirth and memories for so many who shared their summers with her in Metis. Mary and Jim also hosted numerous Metis Garden Parties at their home, Birchcliffe, following a tradition established by her parents benefiting the four churches of Metis. It was in the unwavering beauty of Metis that she spent every summer, including the summer of 2013, and it was the place she loved most. Mary was a mother to people far and wide, not only to her children. She was a force of stability, calm and acceptance when it was needed most. She was humble, kind, compassionate, generous, with a great, abiding sense of humour and a light touch. She was unselfish, straightforward, honest and most of all warmhearted; she was deeply loved and cherished by all her family and friends. The dogs and cats Mary cared for over her lifetime were the luckiest in the world! Mary was the essence of goodness. She was one of a kind. We will miss her with all our hearts. The family wishes to thank the team of remarkable health care professionals who looked after Mary in the Palliative Care Unit of the Montreal General Hospital, with special thanks to Dr. Krista Lawlor. The family also thanks caregivers Lynne and Nonty as well as Dr. Mark Roper. A funeral service will be held on Monday 16th, September at 2:00 p.m. at Saint Matthias Church, 10 Church Hill, Westmount, Quebec. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Palliative Care Unit of The Montreal General Hospital or to The Montreal SPCA.