MARGARET LUCY MACKAY obituary 偕瑪烈訃音

 

 

MARGARET LUCY MACKAY July 7, 1919 - August 21, 2021

Margaret grew up in Tamsui, Formosa (now Taiwan), the youngest daughter of Presbyterian missionary parents, George William Mackay and Jean Ross Mackay. In the Tamsui area, she enjoyed summer hikes in the mountains and baseball with her two brothers, Leslie and Ross, and her two sisters, Anna and Isabel. Their grandfather, the legendary George Leslie Mackay(偕叡理), was the first Canadian missionary to Formosa (Taiwan) and he established some of the first medical clinics and a school for girls.
As a child, Margy was homeschooled by her mother and then from grade 2 - grade 13 she attended the Canadian Academy, a school in Kobe, Japan, several days journey away from home by ship. After completing grade 13 at CA, Margy moved to Toronto and attended the University of Toronto, obtaining a BA in English and History. She then enrolled in an office program mastering shorthand and typing and was asked by St. Andrew's College to work for them in Aurora, Ontario, as the secretary to the Head Master for 5 years, where she enjoyed listening to the cadet pipe band. Margy then returned to Formosa, where she worked at the Taipei American School and lived with her parents in the family home.
In 1968, after her father passed away, Margy returned to Toronto with her mother and the family dog, Parka. For the next while, Margy cared for her mother and worked part-time at the University of Toronto in the Fine Arts Department, later moving to Simcoe Hall in the Research and Planning Department. In Toronto, Margy was very involved with her church, Knox Presbyterian, helping mainly in the library and attending numerous church functions. In the community, Margy was active in fighting for tenants' rights. She and her sister, Anna, also helped to start a Block Watch program for their Spadina Avenue building. Margy loved animals and after Parka, always had a resident cat which she enjoyed spoiling. Margy had an extensive community of friends and especially enjoyed time spent at the cabin on Beauty Lake with friends Mollie and Frank. Margy' s home (which she shared for many years with her sister, Anna) was a welcome sanctuary for Toronto friends and for family and visitors from other parts of Canada, Taiwan and around the globe. The family wishes to thank Lynda Hayes, Margy's companion for the last years, for her love and caring companionship. Much gratitude to all the PSWs and Amica Balmoral Club who lovingly cared for Margy. The Funeral Service will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church (630 Spadina Ave.) on Thursday, August 26th at 10 a.m. To attend, please register through Knox Eventbrite. Interment will follow at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. If desired, donations made to the charity of your choice would be greatly appreciated.
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Published in The Globe and Mail from Aug. 25 to Aug. 29, 2021.