Mary Ewert Kirk
Bridge player, lifelong learner, nurturer. Born on Oct. 1, 1910, in Welikoknashesk, Russia; died on Aug. 13, 2014, in Lethbridge, Alta., of natural causes, aged 103.
When Mary was 14, her family immigrated to Canada from their beloved home in the Caucasus region of southern Russia. Her father, a school principal, and her mother, a music teacher, made the move with their six children to escape the tyrannical changes brought on by the Russian Revolution seven years earlier.
The Ewerts could take only two steamer trunks on the arduous journey to their new home in rural Saskatchewan, and Mary's father was heartbroken to leave their home library and her mother's grand piano. Fittingly, Mary always carried in her heart a deep love of books and music.
The move to Canada brought not only a new climate, new culture and new language, but also a new name for Mary. Her birth name was Maria, but school officials decreed that she would become Mary, to be more "North American." This disregard of her past, and the taunts of other children calling her a "ruskie," only fuelled her determination to perfect the English language and become a proud Canadian.
After high school in Swift Current, she earned her teacher's certificate and began teaching elementary school. She loved children and felt privileged to be part of their education. In August, 1933, Mary married Nazem Kirk, a mechanic and the son of Lebanese immigrants, and six years later they moved to Lethbridge, Alta.
Mary put her teaching career on hold to raise their three daughters – Iris, Paddy and Judy – but returned to the classroom in the 1950s, initially teaching English to new Canadians and then Grade 6 until her retirement in 1965.
An accomplished seamstress, Mary's talent was evident in countless Halloween costumes, back-to-school outfits and upholstery projects. She also loved to cook – and to feed. Even the most humble of dishes was presented on an impeccably set table, often adorned with a rose from her garden. If you arrived on her doorstep for a visit, it was never an inconvenience: "I was just thinking of you," she would say. When you left, it would be with fresh-baked treats or homemade preserves in hand.
Mary was a passionate bridge player. She adored the complex strategies, the hours of conversation and, of course, yet another opportunity to feed friends. Always a learner, at the age of 89 she decided that if she was going to live this long, she needed to have a computer and know how to use it.
Nazem passed away in 1982, and Mary continued to live in their home until the age of 102, when her body began to fail, although her mind did not. She remained positive in her outlook despite being acutely aware that she was no longer able to cook fabulous meals for her family or knit complicated sweaters for her grandchildren. She had a remarkable ability to accept and assimilate change – both joyous and difficult – with grace and determination, allowing her to live fulfilled for almost 104 years.
Paddy MacLean is Mary's granddaughter.