It is with profound sadness and heavy-heartedness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved and extraordinary mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend. Mary was a fierce fighter to the end, valiantly refusing to surrender easily to her last and ultimate health adversary, dementia. Mary was the last surviving member of the Gorcsi family (parents Rose and Louis and sister Teresa), who left Pölöske, Hungary in the late 1920s and journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean for a better life in Canada. They settled down in Brantford, where later sister Liz and brother Louis were born. While her older sister married young, Mary went against the norms of her time to live a different life. In her late 20s, she was introduced to a world-travelling Englishman, James (Jim) Henry Kelly, who courted her with an unflinching goal in mind: to marry this gem. His plan worked; they quickly married, and she joined him in Venezuela where they lived for over a decade. Soon after they returned to Brantford, however, Jim died of cancer, and Mary faced deep grief and loss in addition to the fear and challenge of raising four young children on her own. Being a mom proved to be Mary’s highest calling though, and her super power. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for Sheila (Jim); Jack (Laurie); Barbara; and Trish (Domenic). The love she felt for her children was only matched by the love she felt for her grandchildren: Andrew, Alex, Sarah, Spencer and Nicole. Even much later in her life, Mary, innately a mother, gravitated to babies, and her face lit up in the presence of one. In the last few years, there were precious-few new memories that Mary could sustain, except that of her first great-grandchild, Will. But we can remember for Mary. She was a fan girl of Tyrone Power, liked the baritone ballads of Dean Martin, had an eye for fashion and never wore scuffed shoes, made meaty cabbage rolls and a rich walnut torte, used scotch tape for almost everything, watched Days of Our Lives faithfully, enjoyed tending her driveway-long row of eye-catching roses, laughed uproariously at silly movies like The Party, could walk miles well into her 70s unlike individuals 30 years younger, and always said yes to chocolate and donuts without affecting her slim figure. Mary wore many metaphorical hats as everyone’s favourite mom: among them, cook and baker, chauffeur, tailor, nurse, teacher, counsellor, fortune teller, cheerleader, housekeeper, event planner, dragon slayer and, most of all, world changer. She changed our world; and without her, our world will never be the same. We take comfort in that, at last, our mom and dad are reunited. Thank you to the incredible team at St. Joseph’s Villa who became Mary’s unofficial second family and who looked after our mom with great kindness and care, including Angela, Bethany, Chandelle (Diamond), Dawn, Dinara, Eva, Ingri, James, Joenalyn, Kelsey, Lara, Mileva, Megan, Rasheda, Robert and Rose. For those who wish to honour our beloved mom, in lieu of flowers please support St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas (https://sjvfoundation.ca/donate/) or any charity that focuses on the well-being of children. A private family visitation and service will be held on Saturday, October 16th, with a reception to follow at Toll Funeral Home, 55 Charing Cross Street, Brantford. For reservation inquiries please call Mary's daughter directly (647.408.9499). All COVID-19 protocols apply: wearing masks; social distancing; and proof of vaccination and photo ID for the reception.