Mary Unger passed away on Friday, April 14, 2023, at the age of 83 years. Mary was born in Manitoba on September 11, 1939. Her parents were Jacob and Helen Toews. Mary was the third of their ten children and is survived by five sisters, Helen, Cathy, Elly, Frieda, and Bertha. 

Mary received her Psychiatric Nursing Degree in Brandon, MB, in 1963. She had a varied experience in nursing since she worked at the University Hospital in Saskatoon and in Penticton, BC.                                                                                                 

In December of 1964, she married Ron Unger who is still living. Ron and Mary were fortunate to be able to travel and she visited over fifty different countries. They moved to Ft. Churchill in 1969 where Ron was working as a doctor. During the two years they spent up north, Mary worked for the Government of N.W.T. as manager of the Transit Centre for Inuit who were flown south to get medical treatment. 

From the cold north, they moved to hot Nigeria in 1971. There she worked in the pharmacy at the hospital and in the children’s ward. It was a great experience, and she met many wonderful people in Nigeria. In 1973, they moved back to the cold weather, to Winnipeg, MB.  Mary always wanted to learn new things and got her B.A. from the University of Winnipeg in 1976. They moved to Oliver, B.C. in 1976, and she worked as a Psychiatric Nurse in Penticton until 1984. Mary was very interested in the care of seniors and took further studies in this field. She received her Diploma in Gerontology in 1984-85 and changed careers. From 1985-1999, she was the Director of Care at Sunnybank Centre, a long-term care facility in Oliver, which had an excellent reputation for giving great care to the residents. 

Mary was very talented and imaginative.  She did a lot of sewing and made elaborate quilts. She was a great photographer and has thousands of pictures.  She always had a full garden and a flower bed that people would come to see. She was always reading in her field of work, to keep up to date and be a better nurse. Mary was a long-time member of Rotary International and did a lot of volunteer work. Throughout her life, Mary was dedicated to helping her family and others whenever the need arose. Sadly, her health deteriorated, and she spent her last two years at Bethany Calgary. Thank you staff for looking after her. 

A Memorial will be held for Mary at Evan J. Strong Funeral Services South, (5502- 2 St. S.W.) on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., with a reception to follow. 

Photos, memories, and condolences may be shared with Mary’s family through www.evanjstrong.com