Mary Elizabeth Wilcox (Morgan) (Brewster), 93, a longtime Ocean Shores, Wash. resident, retired school teacher, died on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018, in Gig Harbor, Wash.
Mary was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada on April 17, 1925, to Sam and Margaret (Pike) Morgan. An only child, Mary’s childhood on Cape Breton Island was very happy which included sledding in the winter and going to the beach in the summer. Mary grew up in the Anglican Church of Canada where she and her parents attended Matins prayers in the morning, Sunday School at 2 p.m., and Evensong at 7 p.m.
Education was very important to Mary. She graduated from Glace Bay High School in 1943 and attended Nova Scotia Normal College in Truro, NS and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Later, Mary also attended St. Martins College, Western Washington University, and Pacific Lutheran University, all in Washington state. In August of 1970, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education.
Mary began her career in education when she taught Canadian servicemen in Canada. During this time, she met and married Kent Gilham. They welcomed the birth of their son, Douglas Ross, born in Toronto, Ontario in 1947. The two later divorced. In 1949, while still in Ontario, Mary met William Brewster. The two were married later that year in Detroit, Mich. Mary and William expanded their family with three more sons: Wayne Morgan, born in Bismark, N.D. in 1950; Larry David, born in Lansing, Mich. in 1952; and William Robert, born in Spokane, Wash. In 1958. The Brewster family traveled west, setting down roots in Washington state. There, Mary would eventually enter the teaching profession again after not teaching since departing Canada. Mary and William were divorced in 1962.
Mary began teaching elementary school in the Yelm School District in 1962. She taught kindergarten, teaching morning and afternoon classes, with a total of 60 students each day. While raising four sons on her own, Mary began to complete her teaching degree, attending school during the summers. After earning her degree in the summer of 1970, Mary and her son William (Bill) moved to Pacific Beach, Wash. where she started teaching first grade at Copalis Beach Elementary in the North Beach School District. Mary and Bill moved around the coast for a while, between Copalis to Ocean Shores, before settling down in Ocean Shores. Mary retired from teaching in 1991 but continued to tutor and teach students who just needed a little extra help.
Mary attended the Galilean Chapel and the Ocean Shores Methodist Church. Mary experienced a number of losses during her life. On Dec. 2, 1977, while teaching 1st grade at Ocean Shores Elementary, Mary received the devastating news that her son, Larry, had been killed in a head-on collision. In 2014, she lost her eldest son Douglas to leukemia. Her son Wayne died from a heart attack in 2015. Her final loss was her dog, Susie, of 17 years in 2015. In December of 1977, Mary was invited to a Christmas party in Ocean Shores where she met Ernie Wilcox. The two married in July 1978 in Port Angeles, Wash. Mary and Ernie lived in Ocean Shores until Ernie’s death in 2011. Mary then moved to Gig Harbor, Wash. in 2013 where she was able to be in closer proximity to her son Bill and his family.
Mary was well cared for during her years in Gig Harbor by the owners and staff of Family First Adult Family Homes and her general physician, Dr. Galvon. Her life was validated every day and although she dearly missed the things she used to do when she was younger, she experienced both good health and happiness.
Mary was a courageous woman, often saying that “getting old is not for sissies.” She cherished her family and delighted in teaching. Some of her hobbies included reading, crossword puzzles, and traveling in her retirement years. She loved the Lord and attending church, serving for many years with the United Methodist Women doing a variety of volunteer activities, that included helping the elderly and children at Christmas.
Mary is survived by her youngest son Bill (Julie), step-daughter Colleen Lee of Lake Forest, Wash.; grandchildren Shane, Craig, Rachel, Gretchen, Egan, Christa, Sarah, Jessica, and Jonathan, plus several great-grandchildren.
A social gathering will be held in Mary’s honor at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, at Ocean Shores Methodist Church, located at 557 Pt. Brown Avenue, NW, Ocean Shores, WA, 98569.
A message of condolence or of a memory can be sent to the family at www.fernhillfuneral.com.
Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Wash.
