Montreal Gazette

Family matriarch struck, killed by vehicle

Niece watches 87-year-old’s death

- KATHERINE WILTON kwilton@postmedia.com

Mary Mavrick’s day got off to a great start on Thursday when her doctor told the 87-year-old woman “that she was doing great.”

Mavrick was looking forward to a family dinner that evening to celebrate the name day of her nephew Dimitri, who is visiting Montreal from Greece.

Throughout the day, Mavrick was able to see pictures and speak to relatives in Greece who were also celebratin­g the feast day.

“We kept saying it was such a beautiful day,” Mavrick’s niece, Aphrodite Bogris recalled.

After leaving a restaurant in LaSalle, Bogris drove her aunt to a popular candle store in ParcExtens­ion, where members of Montreal’s Greek community buy memorial candles to place at gravesites.

Bogris and Mavrick were supposed to drive to Kingston Friday morning to visit Mavrick’s niece, who is ill. Mavrick also wanted to place some candles at the grave of her niece’s son, who died two years ago.

But the elderly woman would never make the trip to Kingston.

Just seconds after leaving the candle store, Mavrick suffered severe head injuries after being struck by a car while crossing StRoch St. between Stuart Ave. and Birnam St. about 7:30 p.m.

She died in hospital several hours later.

Bogris said she told her aunt to stay on the sidewalk while she put the candles in the trunk of her car. The owner of Astor Candles walked Mavrick to the car, but she told him she could manage the last step or two on her own.

Out of the blue, a car struck Mavrick, throwing the elderly woman into the air. When she landed on the street, she never regained consciousn­ess, her niece said.

Bogris said the driver of the car was in shock and kept repeating: “I just killed a person.”

Montreal police said speed does not appear to have been a factor although darkness and rainy conditions may have played a role in the incident.

The incident is the 21st fatal collision recorded this year in Montreal.

Bogris has had the difficult task of contacting their relatives to inform them of her aunt’s sudden death. “It’s just horrible, everyone is in shock,” she said.

She said her aunt was devoted to her extended family and helped her brothers settle in Canada when they emigrated from Greece.

“We lived like the immigrants, all together in one house,” recalled Bogris, who saw her aunt four times a week.

“She took care of all her nieces and nephews. When someone was sick, they stayed with her. She was the matriarch of our family.”

Bogris is devastated by her aunt’s death and heartbroke­n that she didn’t get to make the trip to Kingston to see her sick niece.

“We planned it for three days,” Bogris said. “She promised me she wouldn’t do any housework so she wouldn’t get tired. She was really looking forward to it.”

 ??  ?? Mary Mavrick
Mary Mavrick

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