Mary Irene Hjorth Doubt

Mary died on December 28th, 2025, with her daughter holding her hand. Her last days were filled with her three children, daughter-in-law, grandchild, great grandchild (and twin great grandchildren about to be born), companion and co-conspirator in epic fun, and the beloved Chloe, German Shepherd. The qualities of kindness and imagination were with her to the end, and she is loved and remembered and still inspiring family, extended family, and friends spanning Canada, the USA, Sweden, Finland, and Australia.

Mary is also remembered by many former students from a thirty-year teaching career in Trail (Montrose Kindergarten), Nakusp, Balfour, Princeton, Nanaimo, Nelson, Sicamous, and Celista. She pioneered the whole language approach to learning reading, instituted a daily ‘health hustle’ in her classroom, nurtured a garden with her students, and her class at North Shuswap elementary won the “Kids are Authors” award with their book The Shoe Monster. Her colleagues will remember her as energetic, and direct in her views and opinions. She enjoyed performing and volunteering in little theatre, attending concerts, plays, the symphony, and the ballet whenever possible, meeting artists and visionaries and collecting art, and talking politics. She travelled widely with a very small suitcase and a large sense of adventure.

Though not untouched by worries and sorrows, Mary lived a vivid and interesting life and believed in the stars. In the beautiful words of Antoine De Saint-Exupery:

“You – you alone – will have the stars as no one else has them – …

In one of the stars, I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing when you look at the sky at night…You – only you – will have stars that can laugh!”

There will be no service at Mary’s explicit request. In due course her ashes will join that of her husband, Ronald Charles Doubt, in a spot along the Pend d’Oreille River which holds much joy and wonderful memories for all of the Doubt family. All who believe in the stars are welcome.

5 comments on “Mary Irene Hjorth Doubt

  1. Bela Johnson's avatar Bela Johnson says:

    Aww, VL, tough stuff. I am sorry for your loss. Your mom looked like a character, in the best way. Seemed to have lived a full life. Those are the ones we hate to see leave us. But release them, we must. Thinking of you with great tenderness. Blessings. 🙏🌈💓

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    • Thanks for your kind words, Bela. My mom was a character and did have a good life. It was evident she wished to go when she did, and one can hardly quarrel with that. But there is a big void now, because, after all one can never replace ‘mom’. Time and the stars will ease that – and the kind words of friends. Blessing to you.

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  2. Unknown's avatar Anonymous says:

    Dear Viv,

    Reading about your wonderful mother, I can see how you were so inspired by her. She sounds like a person a lot of people would love to visit with about her teachings and her travels.

    She was surrounded by her loved ones who obviously loved and cared for her dearly, what a special way to leave this earth. We should all be so blessed.

    Hugs and love to you Viv. May you always see her laughing with the stars.

    Tammy

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