We Remember
LATURNUS, Mary
May 4, 1924 — March 31, 2018
Mary was born on May 4, 1924 and passed away on March 31, 2018 in Kelowna. She was predeceased by a daughter, Bonnie; parents Lambert and Anna; brothers Wendell, Andrew and Edward; and sisters Monica Drew and Kay Cordano. She is survived by her sisters Irene Wahl, Julie Chupick, Liz Butler and Carol Fisher; brothers Frank, Joe and Leo; and numerous nieces and nephews. Our thanks to her caregiver, Liz Veach, for her friendship and loving care, and to the staff at Village at Mill Creek for the many years of dedicated care. Funeral service to be arranged at a later date.
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Service
Service to be arranged at a later date.
Our condolences to all the family and others who loved Aunt Mary.
Mary Laturnus was my Father Frank’s Older Sister and My Aunt.
At the very young age of 14 my Father left home to avoid the unrelenting torment of a bully. He left his tiny community in Saskatchewan with $20 and headed out to find work far away in Ontario. He drifted about from farm to farm at first and then ended up in a creosote plant in Sudbury. There he was severely injured in an industrial accident that saw him Hospitalized for a year. At this point he was destitute. He found work but the pay was never enough to meet his bills and Bus fare. Money ran out a week before payday and he started walking to work every morning at 4am. Feeling more alone than ever he reached to Mary for help. She began sending him money monthly so he could at least ride the bus to work everyday. Her letters always came with news from home and a prayer for my Fathers luck to change. One day on the way home, on a bus ride made possible by Aunt Mary, My Father saw a billboard. It said join the Air force . My Father took that bus right to the recruitment center and began to serve that very day. It was the pivot point in his life and it was made possible by the kind generosity of his sister Mary. My fathers right of passage was to repay the money that she had so generously extended to him. When I was born my Father didn’t have to think long on who was to be My God Mother. She became my Guardian Angel and every year on my birthday she would send me a letter with news from home, a little money and a prayer for my good fortune. We Love you Aunt Mary and we will recognize your soul on the other side.