MASTIN, Mary

MASTIN, Mary Franklin - Born August 3rd, 1921, daughter of Ada L. Went and Franklin Carmichael passed away on Friday, October 26th, 2012 at the age of 91 years at St. Gabriel's Villa, Chelmsford, Ontario. Mary was the beloved wife of the late Richard Gordon Mastin (1918-2008) whom she married on July 10th, 1943. She is survived by many loved ones: her four children, John Richard, James Richard, Jane Franklin and Catharine Margaret Mastin; her grandchildren Graham, Stuart and Elizabeth Funk, Andrew and Emily Mastin, Jennifer McNamara, Nicole Anderson and Daniel Landry; her great-grandchildren, Katherine, Derek and Julia Anderson; and her numerous in-laws and extended family. Mary was a graduate of Havergal College, Toronto, and taught for a brief time at Trout Creek School south of North Bay, Ontario. She dedicated much of her life to her immediate family and preserving the legacy of her father, Group of Seven painter Franklin Carmichael. Beginning in the late 1960s, Mary began to pursue her lifelong love of writing by publishing in wildlife, nature and conservation magazines including the Angler & Hunter, Outdoor Canada, Canadian Audubon, Frontiers, Nature Canada, The Ontario Naturalist, Seasons, Rod & Gun in Canada and The Young Naturalist. In 1971, in the latter of these journals, she authored a series of children's short stories followed by feature articles on wild mushroom hunting, plants, animals and the Great Lakes. Building on her father's interest in the Ontario Canadian Shield landscape, her interests drew her to write about such topics as backpacking, trapping, small animals, fish and fisheries, and ecological concerns such as the sea lamprey, pesticide use in forests and the shrinking ozone layer. She was also sometime correspondent to The Globe and Mail for its wildlife and outdoors sections, writing periodically on fresh water pollution and ecological recovery. She was recognized for several contributions to outdoor writing: in 1975 and 1977 she received twice the Frank H. Kortright “Award of Merit“ from the Outdoor Writers of Canada; in 1979 the “Excellence in Craft Award“ from the New York State Outdoor Writers Association; in 1984 the “Excellence in Magazine Writing“ from the Outdoor Writers of Canada; and in 1986 the “Greg Clark Outdoor Writing Award“ from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. She was also a member of the Women's Press Club of Toronto. Her work as a freelance writer continued until 1990 when she then turned her attention to her lifelong goal of post secondary study at York University. From that institution she received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature (1996; Honours, 1999). Atkinson College granted her a Major Program Scholarship in 1999 to continue her studies at the Masters of Arts level. She was unable to continue past her first year due to family responsibilities but her love of literature and the outdoors remained with her. She will be remembered for her dedication to her family, her love of the family cottage, gardening and hiking. A very special thank you is extended from Mary's children to her caregiver, Claudette Lapointe, for the love and kindness she gave to Mary these past four years. Family members have all contributed to Mary's well-being in her last years and we also thank Kathy Cannata for her love and support of Mary since relocating her from Toronto to Lively. There will be a family memorial at St. James Cemetery in Orillia, Ontario and life celebration to be held in hers and her husband's memories at the family cottage, to be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Art Gallery of Sudbury would be appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to the LOUGHEED FUNERAL HOME. To light a memorial candle, donations or messages of condolences available on-line atwww.lougheed.org