BONNELL, MARY BLAIR STEWART (Dr MARY CALDER) M.B., Ch.B. - The death of Mary Blair Stewart (nee Calder) Bonnell in her 87th year, occurred on Thursday, August 4, 2011 in Fredericton, NB. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland and was the daughter of Dr. Hector Calder and Dr. Margaret (Stewart) Calder.
Mary was predeceased by her beloved husband of 50 years Dr. George E. Bonnell and her sister Shena Beck (Tiree, Scotland). She is survived by her five children: Ann Charlotte, Fredericton; Cranston, Fredericton; Rosemary (Laurent Mareschal), Toronto, Ont.; Roy (Genevieve Marchand), Montreal, P.Q.; and Shena, Cambridge-Narrows, N.B.. She was a loving grandmother to Madelaine, Sarah and Benjamin Mareschal; Marc and Emma Bonnell; Ceilidh, Hamish and Logan Hornell. She is also survived by her sister Dr. Peggy McKean (Hull, Yorkshire, England), sister-in-law, Cathy Bonnell, (Ottawa, Ont.) and brother-in-law, Dr. Robert Beck (Tiree, Scotland). Mary's early education was completed at the Laurel Bank School. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1949 with a M.B., ChB.. She completed her residency at the Eastern District Hospital in Glasgow and followed this as the house surgeon in the Midwifery and Gynaecological Department at the Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow. She immigrated to Canada in 1951 and completed a residency in Pathology in St. John's, Newfoundland. It was in St. John's that she met her future husband George. Together they moved to Leduc, Alberta and set up a medical practice. They moved to Montreal in 1956 where she worked at the Montreal Children's Hospital in Paediatric Cardiology. In 1960, Mary and George and their young family moved to Fredericton where Mary focused her efforts on raising a growing family of five children and her husband George set up a busy practice in Urology. Mary was a talented fibre artist. Her interest in needlework and fibre arts began as a young girl and was enhanced by the needlework lessons from her cherished Auntie Meck. An accomplished artist she loved to sew and work with fibres and developed her skills as a rug hooker, quilter, and needle artist. Mary helped to establish and became a Founding and Life Member of The Fredericton Guild of Fibre Artists. After pursuing weaving studies, Mary graduated from the New Brunswick College of Art and Design in 1991. She was a juried artist of the New Brunswick Craft Council in Fibre and Weaving. Her work has been displayed at Government House, UNB, Kings Landing and many other venues. She enjoyed baking, reading the daily newspaper and doing cryptic crossword and sudoku puzzles. Mary was sharp and witty to the end.
Following cremation a service will be held at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church at 1pm on Saturday, August 13, 2011. The Service at the church will be conducted by Rev. Douglas Blaikie. Interment will occur at the cemetery in MacDonald's Corner with the Rev. Gilbert Todd officiating. Online condolences can be made at www.mcadamsfh.com, 458-9170.