MARY ANN MARGARET HODDINOTT (nee MacDONALD)

December 5, 2022

Mary Ann Margaret Hoddinott (nee MacDonald) of Kincardine departed this earth, Dec. 5, 2022. She leaves behind her two sons from her first marriage to J.T. Coleman: William Coleman of Victoria, British Columbia; and Michael Coleman of Kincardine; as well as her grandson, Stephen Coleman (Leanne) of Victoria, British Columbia; and great-grandchildren Aubrey and Ethan Coleman. Mary Ann was born in Kincardine, March 14, 1941. Her father, Norman Stewart MacDonald, gave his life in the Second World War, leaving her mother, Marianne MacDonald (nee Fyfe), to raise her alone with the loving help of the people of Kincardine. The Sun has set. Who was Mary Ann? You could name a “musical” tune, any tune, and she could automatically play it perfectly on her keyboard. Music ran in the family. Her grandfather’s brother, Bert Fyfe, was a founding member of the Kincardine Scottish Pipe Band (1908). Who was Mary Ann? A member of the MacDonald clan, originating as fishermen from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. A people that the word “clannish” was invented for. Today, her family’s MacDonald Reunions gather in hundreds of descendants. Who was Mary Ann? A descendant of the Kincardine pioneer, BIG Andrew Griffith, who cleared the virgin forests along the Highway 21 bypass. He was a landowner from Tyrone, Ireland, who rescued his estate, and several other families associated with it, from the Irish potato gamine, to start life anew here. When asked how long her family had been in Kincardine, Mary Ann was fond of saying, “Oh, about 150 years.” Apply the term, “Pioneer tough.” Legend has it that Big Andrew once carried a 100-pound bag of salt on his back from Goderich to Kincardine. Mary Ann MacDonald was the Salt of the Earth. The Sun will rise again. Visitation will be held at the Davey-Linklater Funeral Home, Kincardine, Wednesday, Dec. 28, from 12-1 p.m., followed by the funeral at 1:30 p.m., with Rev. Rob Hiscox officiating. Final resting place, Kincardine Cemetery. Memorial donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. Portrait and memorial on-line at www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com.