Mary Annette Boddie (nee Foster), 88, passed away peacefully Saturday, June 25 in Halifax, NS with her loving husband by her side and in the presence of her loving children.
Mary was born on May 9, 1928 in Broughshane, County Antrim, Northern Ireland to Montgomery Balfour Foster and Mary Anna Foster (McAdams). Family was always first for Mother and her commitment, drive and love for her family was simply astonishing. She was witty and smart, strong minded, strong-willed, stylish and independent – all traits she passed on to her children. She gave them the confidence to dream, to believe in themselves and fostered their ability to achieve their goals. She loved them, cared for them, made certain they were fed and protected them always. She only drove small sporty manual transmission cars and refused to drive anything with an automatic transmission. An avid and very knowledgeable sportswoman, she was an enthusiastic equestrian rider, an accomplished hockey player (field hockey) and had a love of motor racing, rugby and numerous other sports. She regularly attended the Ulster Grand Prix and Ulster TT, Point to Points and never missed watching The Grand National Steeplechase, of which she had an incredible knack of always picking a horse that would place. She enthusiastically watched grand slam tennis, especially Wimbledon and loved following the Olympics and cheering on Great Britain and Ireland. She adopted the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club and enjoyed watching ice hockey late into the evenings. Mary had a wonderful appreciation and talent for classical music that she passed on to her children. She was a regular fixture for numerous years at the Kiwanis Music Festival of St. John’s. She tested successfully for her Trinity College music exams in piano and voice but unsurprisingly found her calling caring for others in the nursing field. She received her Registered Nurse designation from the Royal College of Nurses in 1948, trained at and had a successful career at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. She quickly ascended to the top of the hierarchy and one of her great achievements was her nursing involvement in the internationally acclaimed cardiology unit with Professor James Francis Pantridge, CBE, MC, MD. She met her husband, a medical student – Dr. Charles Boddie in 1950. They were together ever since. Together, in 1954, they left Northern Ireland for St. John’s, NL. They raised six children and through a shared love of nature and animals and over a number of decades created a piece of Northern Ireland for themselves and their family in Green’s Harbour, NL. Green’s Harbour provided many shared family memories with Mummy at the helm. Her love of animals was evident in the number of horses, ponies and numerous other animals she owned and cared for. Her reputation as a protector of horses is still widely known and appreciated.
She was predeceased by her parents; brother, Matt Foster; sister-in-law, Maud Foster; and daughter Linda Boddie. Survived by her cherished husband of 60 years Dr. Charles Boddie, St. John’s/Halifax; and her devoted, loyal and loving children: daughter Patricia Boddie (Barry King), St. John’s, NL; son Charlie Boddie, aka Brudder, St. John’s, NL; daughter Carol Moore (David), Fredericton, NB; daughter Susan Boddie, Halifax, NS; son John Boddie (Ginny), Halifax, NS. Loving grandchildren Lauren King, Hannah Moore, Martha Moore, Sam Moore, Emma Boddie, Molly Boddie; Leslie Boddie; great grandchildren Sophia and Cole.
A special and heartfelt thank you to Dr. Diane D’Arcy whose compassion, care and respect for Mother will never be forgotten.
A reception to honour Mary’s life was held on July 10, 2016 from 2:00pm to 7:00pm at the Admiral’s Green Clubhouse, Pippy Park Golf Course, St. John’s, NL. As per Mother’s wishes, her family will be accompanying her back to her beloved Northern Ireland. Cremation has occurred.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bannerman Park Foundation or Rainbow Riders.