Mary Innes Allan
January 26, 1929 – January 16, 2022
Our mother passed away in Owen Sound, 10 days before her 93rd birthday. She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Robert John Allan, who passed away in 2018.
Mum was born in Blairgowrie, Scotland, and grew up in the port town of Greenock. She and her 4 brothers (Hector, George, James and David) and sister (Margaret) grew up through the Great Depression and the Second World War. She had vivid memories of those times and told us many stories of her childhood and her colourful family. Her father, James Sutherland, was a veteran of the First World War. He and our Granny, Mary Sutherland, who was born in India, ran a newsstand on West Burn Street in Greenock. Mum would tell us stories about the first zeppelin seen over Greenock, her father’s reaction to the abdication of Edward VIII, and of being terrified by the witch upon first seeing Disney’s “Snow White” as a child. She recalled huddling with her siblings under the heavy newsstand counter during bombing raids, and never forgot the feeling of returning to school after a major raid to see the empty seats of her classmates who had not survived the night.
While working in her parent’s shop after the war, Mum met our Dad, Robert Allan. They were married in 1951 and emigrated to Canada in 1953. Mum left Scotland and her family at the age of 24, only returning there a few times over the course of her life. She recalled crying throughout the entire boat trip to Canada. They initially settled in Renfrew, Ontario. Dad worked for Renfrew Aircraft while Mum looked after their home on Archibald Avenue and busied herself with caring for my sister and me. An excellent student in school, Mum also worked parttime doing bookkeeping for a local service station. They made many friends in Renfrew and were active in the local Presbyterian Church. We moved to Owen Sound in 1971. While Dad worked at Russel Brothers, Mum worked as a real estate agent then secretary for Cardinal, Ralph Gowing and A.E Lepage Real Estate. Mum kept her sharp mind, her sense of humour and a love of reading throughout her life. In retirement she would read a book a day, finish crosswords in 15 minutes and was the undisputed Jeopardy champion in our home for many years.
Our Mum is deeply missed by her daughter, Linda, of Owen Sound and son David (Deborah) of Kenora, along with her grandchildren Naomi, Nathaniel and Sean. She was Linda’s best friend and confidante. Linda was devoted to her care during the years following our Dad’s passing, enabling Mum to stay at home up to a few months before her passing. Thank you to the staff at Lee Manor and the GBRHC, to everyone who was involved in our Mum’s care and to those who have reached out to us with their kind thoughts. Online condolences may be made at www.greybrucecremation.com.