Regimental Number: 305683
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Mary, born on November 16, 1922 in Bezanson, was the second youngest in Peter and Catherine Moon’s family of four children. She had two older brothers, William (Bill) and Jack and one younger sister, Joyce. Peter had arrived in the Bezanson area in 1912 and filed a homestead application on SW 27-71-3-W6. In 1914, he married Catherine Grant in Edmonton following which, the young couple traveled over the Edson Trail and arrived at the homestead three weeks later. The family lived in a log house with a sod roof for 10 years before a new home was built. Mary attended the Bezanson One-Room School and then moved to Grande Prairie where she stayed with her aunt, Mrs. A.F. Christie and attended the Grande Prairie High School. While in Grande Prairie, she joined the Canadian Girls In Training (CGIT) Club and soon realized she wanted to become a nurse.
However, her nursing career was put on hold when she enlisted with the RCAF on July 23, 1942 in Edmonton and served as a Flight Sergeant. Flight Sergeant Mary Moon served in Canada and received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. Once discharged on demobilization on January 8, 1946, Mary attended a school for Nursing Aides. The school, under the joint sponsorship of the Department of Health and the Canadian Vocational Training, was organized to train ex-service women for 10 months at which time they would be qualified for an annual license from the Department of Public Health and would be eligible to work in Alberta as a certified nursing aid. Mary completed her training and received her Certificate in 1947. By 1951, she had earned a R.N. degree at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Shortly thereafter, Mary was appointed as a staff nurse at the Western Hospital in Toronto. While there, she completed an intensive course in hospital administration and one course in linguistics at the University of Toronto. In May 1957, Mary achieved her goal of missionary work when she was appointed to Angola at the annual meeting of the Dominion Board of the Women’s Missionary Society. In September, she sailed for Portugal and once in Lisbon, one year was devoted to the study of the Portuguese language followed by an intensive program to learn the African language. Once Mary had completed the requirements, she was appointed to one of the four mission hospitals conducted by the United Church of Canada.
Following her sojourn in Africa, Mary returned to Canada where she continued in her nursing career. Mary and her partner, Jean lived in a little white house that they had built themselves on SE 34-71-3-W6. They eventually decided to move to Edmonton at which time they gifted the little white house to Keith Patterson who moved it to SW 3-72-3-W6. Mary and Jean eventually settled in Sidney, BC where she retired. Unfortunately, Mary became ill and passed away on February 12, 1985. She was cremated with her ashes being interred in the Royal Oak Crematorium, Saanich, BC.
Contributed by Wanda Zenner
Sources:
Smoky River to Grande Prairie
Interview with Grant Moon
Interview with Arnold Moon
Herald Tribune newspaper articles
Obituary
Service File