Leslie reunion 1999 home page | Start of family tree | Foster page in family tree
FOSTER, Mary Ellen _ The children of Mary Ellen Foster, Mary Mateljan, Alice, Courtney, Leslie and Joe Foster, sadly announce the death of their beautiful mother on Sunday, July 4, 2004.
Mary was in her 98th year and passed away peacefully following a short illness. Our spouses, Richard Mateljan, Jack Henshaw, Susan McKenzie, Margaret and Nancy Foster, join us in thanksgiving for Mom's unfailing devotion and for her long and useful life. Mary's grandchildren, Rick, Maria and Brian Mateljan; Anthony, Daryl and Adam Vanderburgh and Gillian Castel; Mary Ellen, Susan and Ann Foster; Matthew, Scott and Kent Foster, will always remember their grandmother with love and admiration. Her six great-grandchildren will learn of Mary through family stories and photographs.
Mary is also survived by her dear sisters Margaret Blake and Henrietta Schwab of Temple, Texas and Lenora de la Torre of Mexico City. We believe that Mom is now reunited with her beloved husband, our Dad, Courtney (1991) and William and Dolores, their two children who died in infancy. We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the ''Angels on Earth'' at The Village of Erin Meadows for their loving care of our Mom during the past seventeen months.
A celebration of Mary's life will be held at the Turner & Porter ''Peel'' Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga (Hwy. 10 north of Q.E.W.) on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 at 1 o'clock. For those who wish, donations in memory of Mary made to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family.
Comments read at funeral
Mary Ellen Foster November 26, 1906 - July 4, 2004
Mary Ellen Leslie was born on November 26, 1906, in Mexico City. It's hard to believe that this was barely two years after the Wright brothers' first flight! Mary's father was Edwin Leslie. He was an American, born in St. Louis, and was working for an oil company in Mexico when he met his future wife, Zulema. Zulema was Mexican, of Spanish descent. Mary was their second of six children, and eldest daughter.
When Mary was a young child, there was a Revolution in Mexico, and as her father was American and worked for an American company, they had to flee the country. Mary remembered leaving everything behind and getting on a crowded train, and then onto a ship with other refugees, to escape. The family went to St. Louis to live with Edwin's family until the situation in Mexico stabilized. In St. Louis, Mary learned English as her second language. To the end of her life, she was fluent in Spanish, and sometimes would help translate for one of the residents of the nursing home who only spoke Spanish.
When Mary was in her early twenties, she met her future husband, Courtney Foster, in Mexico City. Courtney was originally from Nova Scotia and worked for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. He had been transferred to Mexico City to work at the Bank of Commerce branch there. They were married in 1932, and moved to Toronto, where Courtney had been transferred. Mary remembered how difficult it was at first for her to be so far away from her parents and sisters, in a strange country. Mary and Courtney were married for almost 60 years when he passed away in 1991.
Mary and Courtney suffered a terrible tragedy in 1933 when their first baby, a son named William, died of brain damage six weeks after birth, because of the doctor's incompetence. Mary was very sick after the birth, and was told that she may never be able to have more children. Mary defied the odds, and had six children after that - the last one, Joe, being born when she was 48! Unfortunately, one of those six children, Dolores, passed away of a heart defect shortly after birth. Mary always mourned the loss of her two babies, and we can remember as children paying visits to the cemetery to take flowers to their grave.
To Mary, her family was always the most important thing in her life. Mary was very proud when her children did well in school, and would never miss a Parents' Night, commencement or graduation, recital or other event. She was a stay-at-home Mom, and was always busy keeping house, sewing, crocheting, making delicious meals, and pursuing one of her favourite hobbies - refinishing furniture.
Mary's father was an excellent carpenter, and when Mary was a young girl, she loved to help him in his workshop. She always enjoyed working with wood and with tools, and many times said she would have liked to work in a hardware store. We can picture her in a store like the Home Depot, showing people how to refinish a piece of furniture, lay tiles, repair a leaking tap, or install a hardwood floor. She would have loved that and been very good at it! As a matter of fact, at the nursing home she disliked having the sides put up on her bed. She once showed her son-in-law, Richard, how they could be removed, and asked him to bring her a screwdriver so she could take them off!
Mary was a beautiful seamstress and was very creative in all she did - whether sewing matching dresses for the girls when they were young, or making doll clothes out of scraps of fabric. She could sew and crochet beautiful things without even using a pattern. She just had to look at something to see how it was made.
Mary also loved shopping and wouldn't miss the Grand Opening of a shopping centre. We're sure there's hardly a shopping centre in Toronto that she didn't grace with her presence on opening day! She would come home with a red rose, or some other souvenir of the occasion.
Mary was always nice to everyone she met, and very appreciative of anything people did for her. This extended to her caregivers at the nursing home. She loved the girls there, and always thanked them for looking after her. As they were leaving her room, she would call them back, so she could thank them again and kiss their hand.
Mary will always be remembered with love and gratitude by her children and their families. We are thankful that she was with us for so long, and that her death came so peacefully. We know that she is now reunited with her beloved Courtney and their babies who went on before, and with her parents whom she adored.
Adjectives which we could use to describe Mary are: courageous, resourceful, creative, friendly, helpful, generous, hard-working, appreciative, beautiful and loving.
Mary Mateljan, daughter
List of those who signed the Guest Book at Mom’s funeral Angela Keller -- -- -- Rosamond & Irv. Reid -- Phyllis & Don Epp Edith & Bill Might -- -- Ken Lopez -- -- -- Mary and Bob Snack Ron Petric -- -- -- Frank & Pat Guenther -- Dusan & Angie Bezic Christine Burton -- -- Ray & Trudy Dunne -- -- Carole & Gerry Lang Kathy & Laurie Pilsworth -- Mary Seymour-McGregor -- Leslie Chapin Anthony Vanderburgh -- Marilyn & Arthur Angus -- Daniel Fernandez Rob Henshaw -- -- -- Terry & Bill Lawlor -- -- Tupper Foster Jeanette Wareham -- -- Sandra Bezic -- -- -- Jim Matthews Ralph & Eveline Glen -- -- Janis Vanderburgh -- -- Adam Vanderburgh George Wright -- -- Debbie Campbell -- -- Kiki Delaney Helen Kearns -- -- -- O. Linda Sparks -- -- Edith Karpetz Anne Donaldson -- -- Pansy Holness -- -- -- Rose Skala Heather & Lorrie Brennan -- Joanne & Murray Ferron -- Pauline Stagg John Trainor -- -- -- Darcy Grube -- -- -- Irene Rutherford Claire Grelo -- -- -- John & Gail Zimmerman -- Ann & Dave Sager Winnie Stott -- -- -- Gary & Jane Cassidy -- -- Frank & Jeanninne Mateljan Family members who were present were: Mary & Richard -- -- Alice & Jack -- -- -- Court & Susan Les & Margaret -- -- Joe & Nancy -- -- -- Rick & Jeanette* Maria -- -- -- -- Brian & Lana -- -- -- Anthony* & Leslie* Daryl -- -- -- -- Adam* & Janis* -- -- Gillian & Marc Scott & Kent -- -- -- Nicholas & Sophie -- -- -- * These signed the Guest Book. Date Posted: 2004-07-06 (For those reading this, and who are familiar with the history....don't
hesitate to let me know if there are any errors....
Alice Foster, Editor.)
Mary Ellen was the second child of Zulema and Edwin Leslie.
During the
Mexican
Revolution
of 1910-1920, the Americans had to leave
Mexico City. In 1913 the family left Veracruz on a U.S. army boat and
sailed to New Orleans. From there they travelled to St. Louis, Mo. The
family,
Edwin, Mary Ellen, Margaret and Henrietta and their parents lived with
Grandmother Leslie.
As Spanish was the first language of the children, they had to learn
English. Mom still tells us how she hated that..."No Ingles, No Ingles" she
would tell her Mother over and over! Aunt Florence Leslie was a teacher and
helped the chidren immensely.
In 1915 the family moved back to Mexico City and lived with Grandmother
Gutierrez. Henrietta went with her Mom and Dad to live
in Texas for a few months. (I
believe this was as a result of a job transfer for Grandfather Leslie. He
was with an oil company.)
Again, things were unsettled in Mexico City (1916). Uncle Henry
(Gottfried)
arranged to leave with Edwin, Mom and Margaret for Tampico to be
re-united with their parents in Monterrey.
My Mom tells of bullets flying
by her head as
she ran from her school. As they waited on what seemed like an abandoned
railroad station, my Mom will never forget the train as it pulled up waving
a huge American flag. To this day she just loves the U.S. flag! Uncle Henry
has always been fondly remembered as their Guardian Angel.
In 1917 the family then settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma for 5-6 years.
Zulema
and Lenora were born there.
In 1920 the family moved again....to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Grandfather Leslie was to be General Manager of the Texas Oil Company.
Edwin Angel
Leslie died there of blood poisoning. He was only 19 years old. My Mom
often tells of seeing her Father breaking down and crying during that very
sad time in their lives. Edwin's body was eventually taken to St. Louis,
Mo. for burial there.
In 1929 the family moved back to Mexico City,
where Grandfather Leslie would work with Sinclair Oil Co.
Mom worked as a
translator/secretary at The Canadian Bank of Commerce where my Daddy was
employed. They fell in love. When my Dad was back in Canada (Nova Scotia)
for his holidays and to see his family, he received notice that the Branch
had to close. (The Mexican government were closing all foreign banks). He
and my Mom corresponded for about a year and then met in New York City to
marry. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls and settled in Toronto, Canada
where Daddy continued to work with the Bank of Commerce.
A lot more "recent" history will be found in my biography and in my
sister
Mary's also.
Since Daddy has gone, Mom does miss him so. They were married 58 years.
(When Edwin was a young boy, he did not like his middle name, Angel,
and
asked that it be changed to Gutierrez...hence Edwin G. Leslie on his
tombstone)