Mary Helena (Densmore) Atwood

Mary passed away peacefully at the Mackenzie Health Hospital on Sunday, April 12th in her 94th year. Devoted wife of the late Walter (Wally) Atwood. Loving mother of Margo (Germain Labonté- deceased) and Cindy (Sean McConnell). She will be missed by her grandchildren Kelan and Aiven, Gabrielle (Patrick) and Camille (Jensen). Survived by her sister-in-law Helen Densmore. Predeceased by her parents, Blanche and Wendell Densmore, siblings Robert, Edith, Garth and brother-in-law Edwin Harvey. She will be sadly missed by her many nieces, nephews and extended family.

Mary spent her childhood years in Brookfield, Nova Scotia. She went on to attend the Normal College in Truro and taught school for a few years. Always wanting to do more with her musical gifts, Mom went on to study music at Mount Allison University. While there, Wally, her future husband, boarded at the house owned by Mary’s sister Edith and her husband Edwin. Wally had been employed to teach music at the high school in Brookfield. It was destiny and they were soon inseparable and eventually married. The province of Quebec came calling and they soon found themselves living in the West Island of Montreal where Mary taught music at several schools within the Lakeshore School Board. When Margo and Cindy arrived, Mary was not teaching anymore and became the organist and choir director at Lakeside Heights Baptist Church in Pointe Claire, a post she held from 1961 to 1986.  She and Wally retired to the Peterborough area, where she sang in the choir at Murray Street Baptist Church and shared her musical talents as an accompanist and musical director for several groups. Mary remained there until 2023 at which time she moved to Thornhill to be closer to Cindy and Margo.

Mary’s main passion and interest in life was music, and she could play piano beautifully. She possessed the uncanny and unusual ability to play music by ear after hearing it just once and then could transpose it on the spot to any key required.  She accompanied many musicians over the years and directed several choirs with much success. She loved doing it and was loved back by those she served at church and in the community.

The celebration of her life will be held at Glynnwood Retirement Residence at 7700 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, at 2:30 pm on April 24th. There will be time to visit at the reception following the service. In lieu of flowers donations to the Alzheimer’s Society Music Project or Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.