Obituary of Marylou Cormier
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Marylou Cormier, on June 5, 2023, at the Saint John Regional Hospital at the age of 75. She was born on June 2, 1948, to Peter McIntyre and Geraldine Keleher - the 3rd of 7 children-the 2nd girl of 5. Mom told us many stories about growing up in a big, busy family in a large house on Loch Lomond Rd, and about all the crazy adventures they had during the summers out at the 3rd Loch Lomond Lake where her parents and extended family had their camps - I remember one time we tallied up the number of cousins spending summers out at the camp, we arrived at 18 in total! Marylou left Simmons HS in her senior year to get married and have a baby (because that’s what you did in 1967). She would go on to have another baby in 1972.
She was always up at the crack of dawn, on the go, and was proud to have held a job of some nature since the age of 14. As an adult, Mom worked in the X-ray department of the old General Hospital for a few years and then in several Dr offices, before pursuing a career in real estate.
In Mom’s spare time, she was the original DIY, HGTV personality. She had friends/family in construction that helped her when she knocked out walls, made new windows, and finished our basement in the 70's. I remember that when our neighbors saw what she was doing and how great it looked, they asked her to help them do it to their own houses. She had an amazing talent for turning the things we already owned into something special.
Through her real estate job, she found a large Queen Anne style house on lower Main Street. It was gorgeous and gave her 5000 square feet to decorate and entertain family/friends in-which she did with relish.
In 1985, after her daughter graduated from SJHS, Marylou decided she would go back to school and get her high school diploma - this was no GED program-she became a full-time student at Milledgeville North HS! (Much to her son’s chagrin, who was in grade 8, at the same school!) Once her classmates figured out that she wasn’t a Narc plant from the SJ police dept (the kids really did think that), she became a beloved member of the class of 1986. Looking through her yearbook, all these years later, we find page after page of notes written by teachers/students expressing thanks and stories of her positive effects on them as a role model. Many of these students would drop by to see her at Appleby’s Photo by the city market, where she worked for many years -and she followed their accomplishments as proudly and happily as she did those of her own children.
In later years, new houses and bigger gardens would follow and this was when her green thumb started to express itself. Many evenings/weekends were spent making new gardens, a pond, and garden structures. She created a beautiful outdoor space and enjoyed entertaining family/friends there often-she even hosted the wedding of a neighbor.
My brother and I had long moved to faraway cities and now had families of our own. A visit from Grammy was a real treat. It usually meant a room was going to be redecorated, a new garden bed made, a freezer filled with wonderful food, and tears at the airport when she left. We always wanted her to stay longer.
Mom was a very independent woman and was eager to experience living on her own after her 2nd marriage ended. She embraced it as a new adventure. She moved to the Kiwanis Lodge and became a PCA. Of course, her tiny apartment quickly became adorable when she “knowingly“ forfeited the damage deposit by painting the cupboards, customizing a backsplash, and building/painting a kitchen island to match!
When my brother and I toured her place for the first time, we found it charming and pure Mom. If the Lodge had the extra units, they would have been wise to make her place the show model! In fact, we often told Mom that she could have had many careers-decorator, home stager for real estate sales, landscape designer, etc, and she could have hosted her own show detailing all of those adventures.
Losing a parent is very hard, no matter how old you are. We were so grateful that we quickly found our way to the palliative care unit, at the Regional Hospital. Dr. Mackin and all of the nursing staff are genuinely wonderful people, who care about their patients & families. Saint John is fortunate to have such staff and facilities and a hospital administration that support palliative care.
Arrangements are under the care of Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (506-634-7424). Per her own wishes, there will be no services. Donations in Marylou’s memory may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
