Mairi Gray (12 Sep 1928 - 19 Feb 2015)

My enduring memory of Mairi was her enthusiasm and sense of fun.

Mairi was the most magical aunt you could imagine. She and I may have been an ocean apart -- literally -- but that never seemed to matter. Years could go by without our speaking -- but the moment she picked up the phone or I walked through her door she embraced me and later my husband, Ken, completely into her life. I first met her when I was 11 and was instantly enthralled. True, she opened up the candy cupboard for me -- imagine what it was like for a tween to see chocolate bars ready at hand! -- but that candy cupboard became a metaphor for her warm generosity and affection over the years. Her love of history, of art, of travel, her enthusiasm and openness to the world around her, all of these were infectious. And her steadfast good cheer in the face of ill health and calamity was remarkable. What a great lady. We'll miss her dearly.