Mary Anne Fritz

January 14, 1927 - April 30, 2023
Mom joined Dad on the first tee of the golf course in the sky on the morning of April 30 for the first of many more golf games together.
Mary Anne (Mom) grew up on a farm near Olympia, Washington. She helped with chores on her family farm and built B17's as a teenage "Rosie the Riveter" during WW II before going to the University of Washington to study journalism. There she met a dashing naval officer named Herb Fritz on the UW golf course during a thunderstorm. They married in 1946 and welcomed Dan in 1947, Bob followed in 1948, Brad in 1950 and Sally arrived in 1951. She was a very busy woman!
The family moved to BC in 1955 when Herb went north to pursue a business opportunity in the construction industry. Having become dedicated to Canadian life and ideals, they took out Canadian citizenship in 1967.
While Dad worked hard building his business, Mom worked hard building a wonderful homelife for her family. Over the decades, she was the glue that held the family together. With what little extra time came her way, she enjoyed reading, writing, painting, sewing, gardening, flying their plane, spending time at Sakinaw Lake, and golfing. She was quite an all-round woman!
Mom and Dad also enjoyed traveling, often golf related, and eventually began wintering in several locales in the warmer parts of the USA. They finally settled on Palm Desert as the place to spend the colder Canadian months, enjoying golf, friendship and the family's visits.
Mom lost the love of her life in 2014 when Dad slipped away but, in true farm girl tradition, she soldiered on as Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma to her 4 children (Dan [Shelley], Bob [Leah], Brad [Debbie] and Sally [Ed]), her 10 grandchildren, her 16 great grandchildren and her younger sister, Leola.
Mom was the matriarch of our large family, an incredibly kind giving person, but also a courageous and determined woman who faced, head on, any obstacle that confronted her in life. She was always ready to read a story, bake cookies, dispense wisdom, and generate smiles. We will miss her greatly.
In Mary Anne's memory, do her the honour of giving a loved one "a peck on the cheek and a squeeze".
There will be a celebration of the lives of Mary Anne and Herb on June 23 at 5 pm at the Point Grey Golf and Country Club.


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