Obituary of Mary Ann Fieldes

Mary Ann Fieldes passed away peacefully in her home at The Elliot Community in Guelph on March 5th, 2016, in her 73rd year. Dear mother of Jameel and Naseem Al-Aidroos, and cherished sister of Elizabeth Gillespie and Blake Fieldes, Mary Ann is survived and will fondly be remembered by their families, including her two new grandchildren. She is predeceased by her parents, Morice and Loma (Potton) Fieldes of Nelson, New Zealand. Professor of Biology, emerita, at Wilfrid Laurier University, Mary Ann was tirelessly dedicated to her students and research for nearly thirty years. As the university's first Assistant Dean: Science, she was instrumental in the proposal and construction of the university's Science Building, and helped usher in the creation of WLU's Faculty of Science. Her research on plant development explored how environmental conditions can cause heritable changes in DNA methylation that alter the expression of proteins in flax plants across multiple generations. Her early work in this area was some of the first in the now burgeoning field of epigenetics. An avid gardener and member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Horticultural Society, Mary Ann also loved mystery novels, Masterpiece Theatre and cryptic crossword puzzles. She immigrated to Canada from New Zealand in 1967, and always missed home, especially the ocean. Some of her most treasured moments were spent camping with friends and family each summer on the shores of Lake Huron, a place where she often felt closest to home. A service to remember and honour Mary Ann will take place Friday, April 1st at 3 pm at the Erb &amp; Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. South in Waterloo. In lieu of flowers, condolences to the family and memorial donations to the Elliott Community of Guelph, Alzheimer Society of Canada, or Cancer Society of Canada may be arranged by contacting the Erb &amp; Good Family Funeral Home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445. An announcement to the Wilfrid Laurier community of Mary Ann's death is posted on the <a href="https://legacy.wlu.ca/news_detail.php?grp_id=28&amp;nws_id=15087">WLU website</a>.