Mary Hilborn

HILBORN, Mary….

Peacefully, Mary Elizabeth (nee Collison) Hilborn, passed away on April 27th, 2020, at the age of 99. Thankfully Dan was able to be with her which was an incredible comfort to her as well as to her other children and grandchildren. Thank you to Dan and his wife Nancy for their support and communication to all of us during this period of pandemic isolation.

Our mother was a lovely, witty, graceful, and strong woman. She was a much loved mother to Peter, Nancy (Boudewyn), Tom, Anne (Greg) and Dan (Nancy). She was a loving Grandmother to Wesley (Meagan) and Andrew Turney, Aidan and Holly Hilborn, and Catherine van Oort. She was also Great Gramma to Jack, Olive, Ingrid and Matilda Turney.

Mary was an avid figure skating enthusiast her entire life. She belonged to the London Skating Club for many, many years and was even the Southwestern Ontario Ladies Junior Champion in her late teens. She spent much of her youth skating in ice shows across Ontario and in Detroit with Sonja Henie. She enjoyed lifelong friendships with her skating partners, bridge club members, St. Luke’s Anglican Church women’s group and neighbours.

In her early 20’s she and her friends drove a Red Cross truck and collected scrap metal for the war effort as well as knitting socks and sweaters for the soldiers. She lived through so many changes in the world and always managed to keep up with the times. She enjoyed reading the newspaper and keeping all of us informed by clipping out articles of interest and saving them for us.  She made individualized scrapbooks for the grandchildren as well! Mom was also an avid card and letter writer, we all received cards and letters for every birthday, anniversary and holiday. They now serve as great memoirs of the times, together with her daily diaries dating from 1928!

Mom loved to get the family together and was very proud of how “we all get along”. About one week before she passed away, she told Dan that ‘there is going to be a big audience and they are going to clap and say we did a good job’. What more can we ask for than the belief that we did well in this life?

Mary is predeceased by her husband, Leonard Hilborn, her brother Tom Collison, mother Kathleen McIntyre, and father John Collison. She will be well remembered as a wonderful friend, a calm and gentle person who always put her children and others ahead of herself. Rest In Peace Mom, you did a wonderful job!

Our Family would like to extend a very special thanks to the wonderful staff at Chartwell Long Term Care Residence (Blackwater Road, London) for their loving, kind and compassionate care of our mom. Also, we’d like to add that her death was not virus related.

There will be a celebration of her life as soon as we are able to travel and be together.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the London Food Bank, 926 Leathorne Street, London, ON N5Z 3M5. Arrangements entrusted with A. Millard George Funeral Home, 519-433-5184. Online condolences, memories and photographs shared at www.amgfh.com