Mary Piker

Mary Canton Piker, "Bea" 77, passed away Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023. Bea was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico on June 2nd, 1945. She and her family moved to New Orleans in the 1950s, where she spent most of her life. In 2013 she moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas to be near her daughter, Stacy and grandson, Piker. A loving, involved, and giving mom, sister, aunt and friend, Bea will be missed by so many as she was always there for everyone. She played the guitar, piano, sang, cooked and brightened the lives of her friends and family. She was always real and present, embracing the heart and soul of those who knew her. Bea retired as executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) of Greater New Orleans after many years of dedication to helping those who were struggling with mental illness and their families. Bea was preceded in death by her mother, Beatriz O. Canton, her father Fabio G. Canton and her brother, Fabio J. Canton. She is survived by two sisters, Ana Mandel and Sheila Pritchard, one brother, Albert Canton, her two children, Michael Piker of Jackson, Wyoming and Stacy Hogue of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and her grandson, Piker Alexander. The family will receive friends for a visitation on Wednesday, January 11th from 10 A.M. until 12 P.M. at Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home, 3827 Canal St, New Orleans, 70119. A Mass will follow at 12:00 P.M. in the J. Garic Schoen Chapel. A gathering to celebrate Bea's life will be held after mass for friends and family in Mandeville. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Willard Walker Hospice Home of Fayetteville, Arkansas https://www.wregional.com/foundation/donate-online and/or Best Friends Animal Society of Northwest Arkansas https://bestfriends.org/northwest-arkansas.