With family by her side and with great sadness, the family announces the passing of Mary Mejaski, at the age of 96, on Monday, December 12, 2022, in Oakville Ontario.

Mary is predeceased by her husband Steve (1998).  Loving mother of Barbara (Ron) and Joe (Michelle).  Dear grandmother to Tania (Gerry), Melanie, Stephen (Jenny), Matthew (Allison), Chris, and Jesse (Lindsey).  Loving great grandmother to Mathias, Skylar, Matt (June), Graeme, Isabel, and Jett.  Great-great grandmother to Mae.

Mary was born April 6, 1926, in Croatia, to Mirko and Bara Brinjak.  A few months prior to her birth, her father immigrated to Canada; his wife followed in 1953.  In 1959, at the age of 33, Mary, together with her husband Steve and their children, courageously left her native Croatia to immigrate to Canada with the intent of providing a better life for herself and her family.  After a 6 month stay in Sudbury Ontario, Mary and her family moved to Schumacher, then to Timmins, where they lived until their move to the Toronto area in 1970.

Mary had a keen business sense and encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit in her children and grandchildren. Over time, she was the proud owner and operator of the Mattagami Restaurant in Timmins and Marlow's Motel in Mississauga.  She valued education and derived great pride in her family's academic and professional accomplishments.

During her retirement years, Mary loved to vacation south with her sister, Jaga, and their group of friends who referred to themselves as "The Golden Girls."  Mary loved to sing and dance, garden, embroider, and crochet slippers.  She was instrumental in sponsoring close relatives and their families to immigrate to Canada, helping them to settle in and learn the Canadian way of life.

The family wishes to express sincere gratitude to the staff at Northridge Long Term Care Facility who so lovingly cared for Mary over the past 8 years and the Palliative Care Team at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital who provided such wonderful care and comfort in Mary's final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Skills for Change , https://skillsforchange.org/ an organization that supports Mary's insatiable spirit as a Canadian entrepreneur.

Visitation will take place on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, from 2 pm to 4 pm and 7 pm to 9 pm at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, Ontario, L6K 1E1.

The funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 11:00 am at St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church, 47 Reynolds Street, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 3J9, followed by Interment at Springcreek Cemetery, 1390 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga, Ontario, L5J 2W5.

The family respectfully requests that masks be worn during visitation and at the funeral mass.  Thank you.