Obituary of Mary Donna O'Leary
O’Leary, Mary Donna (Wright)
Mary died peacefully on January 3, 2025, in the loving care of the team at the Lanark Lodge – Maples Neighbourhood, surrounded by her closest loves. Mary, Mare, Mar, Scary Mary, Momma Dukes, Lady Di, and ‘mom’ was often mistaken for a regular woman.
Born December 12, 1945, on the family farm along Second Line Drummond (RR#1 Perth), Mary arrived in this world between breakfast and lunch, delivered solo by her mother, Emily Elizabeth Garland Wright (Robert John Curtis Wright), with a grit and efficiency that set the tone for Mary’s life.
Donald (Anne McVeigh) had run down the road to fetch Helen (Ferguson Burns) to come help deliver little Mar; distracted by butterflies or his niece, baby Rita, he failed to deliver the important news. We don’t know what Ma served for lunch, but Joyce Best (Gordon Best), Glen Wright (Evelyn McCord), Geneva Moore (Allan Moore) Carl Wright (Jean Fournier), and Kenneth Wright (Brenda Cameron) were delighted to meet sweet Mar. Her other siblings; Della (Kenneth Chaplin / Norman Dowdell), Lorne (Marion McLaren) and Earl (Pauline Phillips) where up and off the farm by that time.
Mary grew up amidst 10 siblings and a sea of nieces and nephews (38, to be exact). She inherited her family’s legendary work ethic and a mischievous sparkle reminiscent of Betty White. Combined with Dolly Parton’s boundless heart and sense of right, Mary shined.
Her magic wasn’t loud or flashy. It was in her consistency, her unshakable common sense, and her knack for making the best of a bad hand—both in life and at the card table. Mary lived simply, spent wisely, and savoured life’s little joys: a garage sale score, gospel croons from Elvis, and epic wins during her video game phase in the 90s. She didn’t judge—"God doesn’t make mistakes”, she’d say—but she wasn’t shy about disliking gossip, whispering, or spicy food.
Her life’s wildest gamble was marrying Patrick Francis O’Leary— a notorious bull$#%er, dreamer, entrepreneur, comedian, charismatic leader, and generally decent person. Together, they wandered, searched, and built a life rich in laughter and daughters: Tracy Anne and Kristy Dawn (later joined by honorary daughter Kelly Gaston).
They truly hit their stride with PM’s Convenience, a quirky, bustling hub at 3 Main St E, Smiths Falls. Mary was its beating heart, a matriarch who extended credit when cupboards were bare and famously feuded with the parking meter man to protect her customers from tickets. Her rule: “No one gets a parking ticket at PM’s,” enforced with dramatic coin drops and a cheeky grin, but only when the meter man was watching.
When Big Pat’s battle with cancer ended in 2001, Mary again became the glue, holding her family together and crafting a new chapter. Retirement didn’t slow her. She was a talented painter, committed volunteer, active mother, farm-stand legend, and power-walker. Family was her everything. Her nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews all knew: Mary was their favourite, even if they never said it aloud.
Mary fiercely loved her daughters, showering them with unconditional love and acceptance. She also stood as their unwavering defender. “Scary Mary” earned her title – don’t dare cross an O’Leary girl.
In December 2023, Mary met her final foe: dementia. “Maybe I can beat it,” she said. “Mom, no one beats dementia”. We stand corrected.
While dementia claimed her words and body, it didn’t touch her soul. Mar’s eyes, always alight with love, became her voice. She taught her fiercely independent self to accept help and, in turn, became a beacon of grace.
Even in her decline, Mary was unmistakably Mary: unshakable in faith, love, and the belief that there was a plan for her. Dementia may have taken her, but it didn’t win. It never touched her legacy of kindness, resilience, and fierce devotion to those she loved.
Friends may pay their respects at the Blair & Son Funeral Home, 15 Gore St. W., Perth on Thursday January 9th, 2025 from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Friday, January 10th, 2025 at 10:30 A.M. followed by a gathering and celebration of Mary’s life in the Blair & Son Family Centre. Interment will be held privately in the spring.
Rest easy, Momma Dukes. You were known, adored, and forever ours.
