July 24, 1931 - April 8, 2024
Molly was born in Winnipeg to Mary (Macmorine) and Basil Creighton Glynn. Her family moved a lot and Molly lived in many places in southern Ontario and the north east USA as a child. Eventually, the family settled in Montreal West. Molly attended McGill University, attaining a Bachelor of Arts (Botany major). She was accepted into the Graduate program in Bacteriology in 1953, receiving a Masters qualification in 1957.
Molly met her husband Raymond Denson at McGill where he was studying medicine. They were married on Nov 29, 1952. Their daughter, Annabelle, was born in 1957, the same year Molly and Ray moved to North Battleford, Saskatchewan, where Ray completed a residency in psychiatry. After Louise’s birth in 1960, they moved to Saskatoon where Molly spent the next 30 years. Frank was born there in 1964.
When the children were all attending school, Molly returned to university to complete a Bachelors in Education (French major). Practice teaching locums convinced her that this was not her destiny, however, and her background in microbiology led her to become one of the first employees in the mid-1970s at the Veterinary Infectious Diseases Organization (VIDO). In her 25 years at VIDO her meticulous work contributed to the growing body of knowledge on corona virus infection in calves and mycoplasma infection in turkeys.
Molly was an avid bird watcher and participated in the annual Audubon bird count. She and Ray enjoyed outdoor activities throughout their life together, including mountain climbing, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing, sailing, skating and skiing. They were able to enjoy nature in all its glory during their many years as members of the Saskatoon Sailing Club, and later at ‘the farm’, a block of land near Radisson on the North Saskatchewan River.
In 1990, Molly and Ray moved to Thunder Bay and settled in Maple Crest Towers, their home for the next 35 years. Molly was involved in a wide array of activities at Maple Crest. She played pool, joined several book groups, and participated in rotating dinners and coffee mornings with her dear friends. A ride in the elevators always revealed someone who was Molly’s friend. Molly and Ray travelled widely in retirement going on bird watching trips to Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain and Cuba. They traveled several times to Europe, including Ireland, Poland and Russia, and memorably, to Egypt and Peru to see some of the great wonders of the ancient world. She kept a well written travel diary of their many trips, and had a phenomenal memory for people, places and events.
Molly was an avid reader and Scrabble player. Her book collection extended to many shelves where Canadian history and natural history were particularly well represented. Molly was a member of 3 book groups in Thunder Bay, but she did not limit her interests to literature. She also liked to paint with water colours and filled several albums with landscape sketches of places she loved. Molly was also good at handwork and did embroidery, smocking and needlepoint. She could repair anything and was always ready to patch and oversew a torn seam or hole. Plants were one of Molly’s first loves and she maintained a little garden on her balcony at Maple Crest, delighting in her tomato plants and bean crop.
A staunch believer in the value of education, Molly was enormously pleased to see all her grand daughters complete their university degrees. She was a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) up until her death.
Molly was a supporter of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and regularly attended musical events in Thunder Bay. She was endlessly generous and supported many humanitarian and nature charities.
Molly was pathologically optimistic until the end, telling the gathered family that she didn’t need to be in hospital because she wasn’t really that sick. Her parting thoughts to us were to be patient and kind, honest and fair, certainly words that she lived by. She is already greatly missed.
Molly was predeceased by husband Ray Denson, and sister Grace Gordon. She is survived by her 3 children, Annabelle (Denis), Louise (Mark), Frank (Mona). Her 3 granddaughters, Martine, Felixe and Sydney, were all able to spend time with her before she passed. She is also survived by nephews Laurie Gordon (Nancy), Darcy Gordon (Anne) and niece Catherine Gordon (Bobbie Theodore).
The family would like to thank the staff at Thunder Bay Regional Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital for their kind and diligent care for our mother.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 1:00pm, in the Provincial Room, Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel, 17 Cumberland St N, Thunder Bay. Donations to humanitarian or environmental charities, in lieu of flowers, would be greatly appreciated.
Condolences may be made through www.nwfainc.com
