Obituary of Mary Anne FISH

September 1, 1943 – Napanee, Ontario

December 18, 2019 – Calgary, Alberta

Mary Anne Fish of Calgary, AB, passed away on Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at the age of 76 years.

Mary Anne was born in Napanee, ON, on September 1, 1943, the oldest daughter of Douglas Cameron and Mary Margaret Exley.  The Exley family moved to Thunder Bay in 1954. Mary Anne was a passionate lifeguard at public pools and a highly decorated Girl Guide.  She graduated from Fort William Collegiate High School and entered into the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing.  She received the Gold Medal for her graduating class.  She began her diverse nursing career, alongside her mother, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Port Arthur, ON.  Mary Anne married John Alan Fish on December 27, 1965 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Thunder Bay, ON.  Together they raised four children, two daughters, Christine and Lesley; and two sons, Jonathan and Matthew.  Mary Anne was a passionate and nurturing mother. Her family was her life.  She was a dedicated participant and volunteer in the Thunder Bay ski scene and various other activities where the children were involved.  She enjoyed curling, painting and family holidays.  Her true oasis was the family summers at the cottage community of Amethyst Beach with her family and friends.  Mary Anne was a very accomplished Registered Nurse highlighted by her presidency of the Ontario Nurses Association in 1983.  She expanded her career with St. Elizabeth home care in Thunder Bay, and Ottawa.  Mary Anne and John relocated to Calgary, AB in 2006, to work at the Bow Valley College of Nursing, eventually becoming the school’s Director of Nursing.  She later volunteered at Foothills Medical Center, and was a member of the Education Standards Advisory Committee.

Mary Anne is survived by her children, Lesley (William) Lukawy, Jonathan (Michelle),  and Matthew (Emilie); her grandchildren, Danica, Exley, Ethan, Liam, Beckett, Finley, and Sawyer; her sisters, Patricia Jokela and Ruth (John) Walton; two brothers, John (Kathy) Exley) and Stephen (Heather) Exley, and many nieces and nephews.  Mary Anne was predeceased by her husband John, her daughter Christine; her parents, Douglas and Mary Exley; and John’s parents, Horace and Melba Fish.

Relatives and friends are invited to Prayers and Tributes at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY (Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, AB) on Friday, December 27, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. 

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. James Catholic Church in Okotoks, AB on Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.  Reception to follow in the Reception Hall at the Church.  Interment to follow at a later date.  A Celebration of Life will be held in the summer of 2020 in Thunder Bay, ON.    If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, #270, 2323 – 32nd Avenue N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 6Z3 Telephone: (403) 265-9039, www.childrenswish.ca . Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Mary Anne’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

Special thanks to the Tom Baker Cancer Center and the Alberta Health Services Palliative Care team.

A tree will be planted in living memory of Mary Anne Fish. McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Fish Creek, 14441 BANNISTER ROAD SE, CALGARY, AB, T2X 3J3,  Telephone: 403- 256-9575.