Our Horticultural Society is saddened to lose a dedicated and dear friend, Mary Mosser, on Saturday June 4, 2026. We are grateful for all of the time and energy Mary invested in our society and the experience she brought to varied and important roles over more than 2 decades.

The announcement of Mary as a new member came in the April 2005 newsletter. And her name appeared again in the very next newsletter when she made the list of Plant Fair volunteers. She wasted no time getting her green thumbs dug into the inner workings of our society!

Mary came across as a very polite but determined and pragmatic person. Soft, but firm. No doubt, these qualities served her well during nearly 30 years of service as a Canadian diplomat, a Foreign Service Officer with Global Affairs Canada . Behind her quiet demeanour lay a woman who loved travelling, and enjoyed her work abroad, which included postings in Paris, Moscow, Belgrade, Lusaka, and Vienna.

Mary Mosser courtesy of Christine Mosser.

So it is no surprise that with all of that experience, two years after joining the Hort, Mary joined the Board of Directors and shortly after became treasurer in April 2008. She served in that position until 2016. During this time she hosted Board meetings at her “warm and welcoming home” in West Bend, says Anne Karpynczyk.

But Mary did much more than keep our ledgers balanced during all of those years. She contributed much more to the Hort reflecting her dedication to our mission and generosity of her time and effort. For a number of years, Mary (and her sister Christine) offered her backyard and driveway as a drop off for members’ divisions. Then she hosted potting up sessions during which volunteers prepared the donations for the Plant Fair. And to top it all off there was always tea and nibbles afterward.

Her last contribution was as coordinator of the Green Elephant part of this year’s Plant Fair just three weeks ago. She had expressed concern to head Plant Fair wizard Anne that we hadn’t received a lot of donations this year. But at a postmortem of the event, when informed of the total earnings from sales of the Green Elephants, Anne recalls Mary “was really chuffed as we have never made that much before.“ We are so grateful for her care and effort and glad that she was able to revel in that wonderful accomplishment.

Mary was a kind and thoughtful gardener. As I was leaving one of those potting sessions, I commented on her speckled violets and she told me I could dig some up for myself, then and there. I did and they have multiplied in my own gardens. Just days before she passed away, Mary had been on my mind as I had finally thinned the masses of speckled violets, potting up what I’d pulled to be transplanted later into other beds and to share with friends.

As Anne says, “We were so blessed to have her support and strong spirit for many years.” So I am now making a few of the violets I dug up available to members who want to nurture a little part of Mary's legacy in their own gardens for years to come. 

And her generosity lives on in the suggestion that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the two organizations, one of which is our Horticulture Society.

- Maria Nunes

Here is the official Obituary and notification of the celebration of life.

https://www.turnerporter.ca/obituaries/Mary-Mosser?obId=48603163

Violets photo courtesy of Maria Nunes.