Mary Petruniak

Mary Margaret (Shaw) (Batiste) Petruniak

It is with great sadness that the family of Mary Margaret Petruniak (Shaw) (Batiste) passed away peacefully at Afton Park Place, in her 77th year on May 19th, 2025. Mary is survived by her loving husband, Ben Petruniak of Sarnia, who will miss her dearly. She will be greatly missed by her children David (Alison) Batiste of Waterloo; Danika Batiste of Cremona, Alberta, daughter-in-law Susan Jackson of Watford and grandchildren Ethan, Leah and Bodee. Mary is survived by her sister Nancy (late George Hart) of Maryland; her stepchildren Leon (Julie) Petruniak, Roman (Tanya) Petruniak and their families; as well as her former husband, John Batiste. Mary is predeceased by her parents Orlo and Ethel Shaw, her son Geoff Batiste and step-daughter Nicole Petruniak. Mary was born in Windsor, Ontario on May 8th, 1949. She was a primary school teacher in Windsor before starting a family and moving to Quebec City, Germany, and Montreal. Once she settled in Sarnia, Mary became an entrepreneur and worked for various charities such as the Lung Association and the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Later, she was the activity coordinator at Rosewood Retirement Living, a position she thoroughly enjoyed and took great pride in. Mary loved to sit by the pool and soak in the sun, she watched the ships pass along the river and under the Bluewater Bridge from her balcony from one Great Lake to the next, her favourite was when a thunderstorm came in across the lake. She experimented and loved to try new recipes (she was an amazing cook!) and play games on her computer. She traveled the world with Ben to places like Iceland, Greece, Russia, Alaska and spent her winters in Florida. Mary was a very kind, generous mother, an extremely devoted partner, a sweet down-to-earth soul. She will be dearly missed by everyone who ever knew her. A private family service was held on May 21st, 2025 at McCormack Funeral Home in Sarnia. As expressions of sympathy, donations to Diabetes Canada would be deeply appreciated by the family.