Mary "Pat" Stocks' Obituary

[Greybriar]

I normally wouldn't post an obituary let alone one of a complete stranger. But this one is different, much different from the ordinary and very special:

STOCKS, Mary Patricia (nee Morris) —

Pat Stocks, 94, passed away peacefully at her home in bed July 1, 2015. It is believed it was caused from carrying her oxygen tank up the long flight of stairs to her bedroom that made her heart give out.

She left behind a hell of a lot of stuff to her daughter and sons who have no idea what to do with it. So if you're looking for 2 extremely large TV's from the 90s, a large ceramic stork (we think) umbrella/cane stand, a toaster oven (slightly used) or even a 2001 Oldsmobile with a spoiler (she loved putting the pedal to the metal), with only 71,000 kilometers and 1,000 tools that we aren't sure what they're used for. You should wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch. Tomorrow would be fine.

This is not an ad for a pawn shop, but an obituary for a great Woman, Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother born on May 12, 1921 in Toronto, the daughter of the late Pop (Alexander C.) and Granny (Annie Nigh) Morris. She leaves behind a very dysfunctional family that she was very proud of. Pat was world-renowned for her lack of patience, not holding back her opinion and a knack for telling it like it is. She always told you the truth even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear. It was the school of hard knocks and yes we were told many times how she had to walk for miles in a blizzard to get to school, so suck it up.

With that said she was genuine to a fault, a pussy cat at heart (or lion) and yet she sugar coated nothing. Her extensive vocabulary was more than highly proficient at knowing more curse words than most people learned in a lifetime. She liked four letter words as much as she loved her rock garden and trust us she LOVED to weed that garden with us as her helpers, when child labour was legal or so we were told. These words of encouragement, wisdom, and sometimes comfort, kept us in line, taught us the "school of hard knocks" and gave us something to pass down to our children.

Everyone always knew where you stood with her. She liked you or she didn't, it was black or white. As her children we are still trying to figure out which one it was for us (we know she loved us).

She was a master cook in the kitchen. She believed in overcooking everything until it chewed like rubber so you would never get sick because all germs would be nuked. Freezing germs also worked, so by Friday our school sandwiches were hard and chewy, but totally germ free. All four of us learned to use a napkin. You would pretend to cough, spit the food into it and thus was born the Stocks diet. If anyone would like a copy of her homemade gravy, we would suggest you don't.

She will be sorely missed and survived by her brother George Morris, children: Shauna (Stocks) Perreault, Paul/Sandy (Debbie) Stocks and Kirk Stocks, son-in-law Ian Milnes and son from another mother, John McCleery, grandchildren: Lesley (Sean), Lindsay (Lucas), Ashley (James), David (Tia), Brett, Erin (Brian), Sean, Alex, Courtney and Taylor and great-grandchildren: Connor, Emily, Ainsley, Tyler and Jack. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Paul (Moo) Stocks and eldest daughter Shelley (Stocks) Milnes and beloved pets Tag, Tag, Tag and Tag. All whom loved her dearly and will never forget her tenacity, wit, charm, grace (when pertinent) and undying love and caring for them.

Please give generously to covenanthousetoronto.ca "in memory". A private family 'Celebration of Life' will be held, in lieu of a service, due to her friends not being able to attend, because they decided to beat her to the Pearly Gates. Please note her change of address to her new place of residence, St John's York Mills Anglican Church, 19 Don Ridge Drive, 12 doors away from Shelley's place.

Published in the Toronto Star on July 18, 2015

[Steelgrave]

God, that could have been my grandmother. She lived in the same small home for 40 years and when she passed, I was two weeks clearing out her house and garage. I would find old pics of family members stuck in improbable places, take things out of drawers and have a random $100 bill flutter to the floor from where she had squirreled it away, there were tons of knick-knacks and things I had no idea where they came from. I donated over 100 teddy bears to a kid's charity because she loved teddy bears and people were always giving them as gifts. She was tough as nails and could hold a grudge forever, but she would blink back tears when our visits ended.

Awesome post, Greybriar. I wish I had been so innovative when Memaw passed   8)

[LongBlade]

Might, maybe have been my grandmother. I have few direct memories of her but some of the stories I have heard have led me to believe that at least a part of her was tough as nails.

My mom told me that the biggest fight she'd ever seen was between her mom and her grandmother over how to best clean a cast iron skillet. Her mom was of the opinion that soap and water were best used. Her grandmother opined that it was well served by simply washing it out in the creek and scrubbed with some gravel.

They don't make 'em much like that anymore.

[Barthheart]

....My mom told me that the biggest fight she'd ever seen was between her mom and her grandmother over how to best clean a cast iron skillet. Her mom was of the opinion that soap and water were best used. Her grandmother opined that it was well served by simply washing it out in the creek and scrubbed with some gravel.
....

Never use soap in a cast iron pan!    ;)

[LongBlade]

Actually you can, but then you have to reblack the surface.

[Barthheart]

Yeah but eventually you'll get soap stuck in the "pores" of the cast iron and it will begin to affect the taste of yer food.
A good scrubbing with really hot water, pat dry with a paper towel then a light brush with oil will keep it cooking well for years.

[Bison]

Soap on seasoned cast iron?  Blasphemy!

[Greybriar]

Although I seldom washed a cast iron skillet, whenever mine got rusty or a buildup on it and started sticking, I would clean it with Brillo pads. Afterward I would rinse and dry it well (an aunt of mine used to dry hers by heating it on one of the burners on her kitchen range). I used to dread re-seasoning my cast iron skillet afterward until I found an easy way to do it--just make a batch of popcorn in it.

[Bison]

^ interesting idea with popcorn greybriar.  I have a new Dutch oven I need to season, but I might wait till this fall so I can do the process in the oven and not kill my ac.

[LongBlade]

^ interesting idea with popcorn greybriar. 

+1

[LongBlade]

Yeah but eventually you'll get soap stuck in the "pores" of the cast iron and it will begin to affect the taste of yer food.
A good scrubbing with really hot water, pat dry with a paper towel then a light brush with oil will keep it cooking well for years.

I did not know that about the "pores".

Yes, I typically boil water in there to lift the stuck food particles. Once that's done I rinse it out, apply some solid Crisco via paper towel, reheat to make it stick, and then let it cool.

I have in the past occasionally used some detergent to clean it but will now fully refrain. Too bad there's not a creek behind me so I can go scour it that way 

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

I had one that was a very rough sand casting. Maybe the idea was the small gaps would let the oil under the meat. It used to shred my spatula. The dishwasher gave it heavy scouring/ rusting which i then steel wooled a little. It became fairly smooth, which is what i was used too. I seasoned with peanut oil like the chinese do their woks. It is a high heat oil.

[Martok]

Great obit, Greybriar!  Sounds like she was one heck of a woman.  :)