Margaret Mary Pettit, age 82, passed away at her residence in the Daffodil Unit at Hogarth Riverview Manor on April 4th, 2026. She was born on January 9th, 1944, in Chapeltown, Yorkshire, England. The daughter of Margaret and Sewall Sterns, a Canadian soldier. In 1945 Mary, as she was known, emigrated to Canada with her mother aboard the Queen Mary. First to Halifax, Nova Scotia and then to Liverpool, Nova Scotia where they were soon joined by Sewall on his release from the Army. Around 1947 a move was made to the new town of Marathon, Ontario where Sewall began work at the new pulp mill and Margaret became Head Nurse at the Marathon Hospital. The family expanded with the birth of daughter Elizabeth in 1947. In the early 1950’s the family grew again with the birth of John in 1954 and Paul in 1955. Mary went to school in Marathon and then in the early 1960’s left for England to live with her Grandmother and Aunt in Putnam, part of London, to attend a secretarial school for a couple of years, returning to Marathon to graduate high school. While she was there, she attended a Queen Elizabeth II Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. The invitation to it was a proud treasure for Mary to display.
After graduation she obtained work at an industrial business in Cornwall. She returned to Marathon where she worked for Bell Canada as a telephone operator and worked at various Bell Offices in Northwestern Ontario. She met Maurice Benoit and married him, moving to Vancouver, British Columbia where their son James was born in 1978. The marriage did not last, and Mary moved to Thunder Bay with James as a baby. She obtained employment at the Port Arthur General Hospital as a Switch Board Operator and then moved jobs to become the Ward Clerk at 4 West in the hospital until she retired in 1999. In 1996 at a singles dance, she met Wayne Pettit, a Thunder Bay Police Officer, and on March 15th, 1997, they were married. A move was made by Mary to join Wayne at his residence on Lakeshore Drive in Shuniah. But sitting at home didn’t satisfy her, and she went to work as a cashier at Superstore where she worked for another four years, before finally retiring for good so she could help Wayne with his antique and collectibles business.
She served on the board of The Thunder Bay Museum Historical Society for nine years where she worked as an organizer for the Victorian Teas. She served as an executive of the Sleeping Giant Bottle Club, holding various positions. She was a member of Session at Lakeview Presbyterian Church, volunteering on the Mission Committee and at Dew Drop Inn.
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2024 and became a patient at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital in May 2025. In August 2025, she became a resident of the Daffodil Unit at Hogarth where she remained until her death.
She is survived by husband Wayne and her son James Benoit (Cassandra); grandchildren Alexander (Chloe), Belle & Andrew Benoit, step-grandchildren Evan & Hollie Davis and their mother Adrienne Davis (Brian); sister-in-law Christie Sterns and her daughters Rebecca & Danielle Sterns; nieces Jessica Kukko & Sara Orita (Jeff); sister-in-laws Maureen Bergroth & Joanne Stewart (Bob) and their children.
Mary was predeceased by her parents Sewall & Margaret, sister Elizabeth & brother-in-law Tom Kukko, brothers Paul & John, father & mother-in-law Al & Gladys Pettit, and brother-in-law Osmo Bergroth and his son Matti. Mary was the last of the Marathon Sterns family.
Cremation has taken place through Sargent and Son Funeral Chapel. A Memorial Service for Mary will be held at Lakeview Presbyterian Church on June 13 at 11:00 a.m. with a luncheon to follow, with private family interment afterwards. The family would like to thank the staff of the Daffodil Unit for the kindness they showed Mary while she was a resident there. On-line condolences can be made at www.sargentandson.com.
