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Herald file Lifestyles

John and Mary Ellen Lewis (nee Drennan).

Obituary: Mary Ellen Lewis

Ahead of her time

June 30, 2009 14:06

A longtime Alliston resident and outstanding community contributor died last week.

Mary Ellen Lewis (nee Drennan) died from cancer at her Alliston home June 20. She was 86.

Raised on a farm east of Alliston, Mrs. Lewis attended Alliston District High School. Even at a young age, she was a strong and independent woman, something that would follow her throughout her life, said daughter Joanne Lewis.

"I always felt that she was ahead of her time as far the rights of women," said Joanne. "Her ideas were always progressive. She wasn't locked back in time."

As young as eight-years-old, Mrs. Lewis would show farm animals at local fairs. Even at a young age, she left her mark on the community, leaving a knuckle print in the concrete at the Circle Theatre while it was being built, Joanne said.

Mrs. Lewis met her future husband, John Lewis, during high school. The couple were eventually married and later moved out west when John was posted to Alberta with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.

Joanne said it was during that time that there was another example of Mrs. Lewis' enterprising spirit. When military personnel were posted elsewhere in Canada, they and their spouses were supposed to be automatically added to the voter rolls in the new area. For some reason, many of the women in Mrs. Lewis' community were not registered.

"Mom wasn't going to settle for that. She struck up the campaign and got them all (signed up) so they got their vote," said Joanne.

The Lewis family eventually returned to Alliston, when John bought a hardware store on Victoria Street in the 1950s.

From then on Mrs. Lewis became a familiar face in the community. She handled much of the bookkeeping for her husband's store, was an active member of the St. John's United Church, and did bookkeeping and writing for the Alliston Herald.

She helped coach the Alliston Hornettes, a girls' hockey team that played during a time when the sport was largely considered a man's game, said Joanne, who played on the team.

Not losing touch of her farming roots, she continued to help out and organize fall fairs.

Mrs. Lewis is survived by her husband John, daughter Joanne, son Bill, and predeceased by daughter Sandra. She is also survived by two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A funeral was held in Alliston this past Friday. Donations can be made in Mrs. Lewis' name to St. John's United Church in Alliston.

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