Mary Pidgeon was born Maria Caroline Kadar in Montreal on 5 December 1929.

Mary was the third child of Laszlo--sometimes called Vasil--Kadar, and Maria—sometimes called Marketa--Balczerovics, and the first born in Canada. Mary was predeceased by her parents and her siblings: Joseph (Helen) and Leslie (Eleanor).

Mary married the love of her life in Toronto on 5 December 1953, Arthur Charles Pidgeon, a decorated World War Two veteran. Mary and Art met on the dance floor and together they danced the city--Two-Step, Cha-Cha, waltz, jive, you name it. Most weekends they danced with friends either at the glorious Palais Royale at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue on Lake Ontario, or the similarly glorious Palace Pier, also on the shores of Lake Ontario adjacent to the mouth of the Humber River. Mary and Art danced together late into their life together, always a joy to watch.

Mary worked for over 25 years as a lab technician at Litton Systems, as smooth with a microscope as she was on the dance floor. You can see how intricate the work is in the photograph above. Because of her training at Litton’s, she could fix anything small.

Mary and Art treated Mary’s niece, Marlene Kadar (Gary Penner), and nephew, Elliott Joseph Kadar, as their own kids. Marlene and Elliott regularly spent weekends at Mary and Art’s house. Mary was a great cook. She would make favourite Hungarian dishes for “her kids”—paprikash anything, stuffed peppers, and lecsó, sometimes with eggs.

Mary and Art made many good friends in the neighbourhood, some of whom are still there.
Mary has been affectionately called “Tante” by her family since 1965. Although she is technically the grand aunt of Jacob Elliott Kadar Penner and Emma Kadar Penner (Jayson Green), they think of her as their grandmother.

After Art’s passing in 2016 “Tante” moved into the Tapestry Retirement Home, now known as Delmanor West Village, where she lived independently until just a few weeks before her death. She was a fixture in the Delmanor community, keeping everyone on their toes with her sharp wit and engaging nature. Like her own mother, she took up painting to great affect her paintings were often on display on the walls of the retirement community. She is dearly missed by the devoted staff and the many friends she made at Delmanor.

Special thanks to Dr. Lehnert and Dr. Ghumman and the dedicated 4 th floor nursing staff at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. Together they kept Mary comfortable in her last days.

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As per Mary’s request there will be no funeral. However, guests are welcome at her interment, beside her beloved Art, on Friday, February 27, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at St. John’s Dixie Cemetery, 737 Dundas St East, Mississauga.