Mary is survived by her children John (Shelley) and their children Shaun (Christina), Katie (Lance) Rosen, James (Basia), and Isabelle; Mary-Ann (Ward) Gajdostik and their children Megan (Clayton) Martineau, Caitlin, and Rianne; George (Angela) and their children Connor (Krysten), Natasha, and Miranda; Laura (Gord) Elliott and their children Josh, Carissa (Mitch) Brummelhuis, and Kody (Natalie); Mark (Patricia) and their children Jessica (Cody) Nelson, Christopher (Grace), and Zachary. She is also survived by 19 great-grandchildren and her siblings Riek Vercammen, Ann Janssens, Fenny Vanden Dungen, John Stroeve, Joe Stroeve, Ria Pickering, and Wilma Gerlock, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws including Jerry Lohues.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband Hank, her infant granddaughter Annie, and her siblings Ben, Herman, Jerry, Theresa, and Diane and other special Lohues and Stroeve relatives.

Mary was born to John and Anna Stroeve in Gramsbergen, Holland, on March 12, 1934, becoming the eldest of eventually 13 children. Mary was an excellent student and she was sad to have to leave school at the age of 12 to help take care of her siblings and her mother since she had wanted to become a nurse. The war years left an indelible mark on Mary in the need to be discreet and private. She was devoted to her family, and her sisters became her best friends throughout life. In 1956, she married Hank Lohues and they emigrated to Canada with all of Mary’s family. Life was hard as a farm labourer’s wife in Picture Butte and Coaldale since there were wood stoves for cooking and heat, little insulation, and no running water in the shacks they lived in, but that changed for the better once they rented a farm in McNally with a beautiful old home. John, Mary-Ann, George, and Laura were born in these years. Uncle Jerry Lohues emigrated to Canada in 1960 to farm with Hank and became part of the family. In 1969, Mary found an ad in the paper for the farm in Chin and, with Uncle Jerry, they were able to fulfill their dream of owning their own farm, where their last child Mark was born. As her mother aged, Mary became very involved in caring for her and her sister Diane in addition to the cooking, cleaning, gardening, and preserving that was required of a farm wife. In 1991, they retired to Coaldale, where they hosted their growing family every Sunday after church. She was so happy to become a grandmother to 16 precious grandchildren.

After Hank and Diane died within weeks of each other in January, 2001, Mary became a relatively young widow, and, for the first time in her life, she was without someone to take care of. It was a novel situation for her. She took solace in reading, arranging the flowers at church, hosting the family on Sundays after mass, and, above all, immersing herself in her Catholic faith, which had always been the center of her life. Mary’s unwavering devotion to God and her very rich prayer life gave her so much peace. Her beautiful spirit shone in her and many of the healthcare assistants who devotedly took care of her at Sunny South Lodge where she lived for the last two and a half years of her life often remarked on it. Although she could be tenacious about receiving the best healthcare possible for herself, she also had an amazing ability to accept with complete grace whatever situation God had planned for her.

Mary was a true example of someone who devoted her life to the service of family and God.

A Prayer Vigil will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 – 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Monday, June 24, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. with Deacon Peter Lilienthal officiating.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2405 – 12 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB, on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. with Father Santiago Torres celebrating. The Funeral Mass will be live-streamed and may be viewed through Mary’s obituary on the Cornerstone website.

Mary will be laid to rest in the Coaldale Community Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local food bank.