Mary (Lindner) Ashbury (1921 — Oct 27, 2017)
Mary passed away peacefully at the age of 96 in Peterborough after a brief illness on October 27, 2017. There wasn’t a summer in her life that she didn’t spend at least some time at Kahshe Lake from 1922, including the summer of 2017. Her grandfather purchased Erin Island (renamed by the family as Algonac) in 1907. Mary spent time each summer at the cottage initially with her brothers and cousins on Algonac. Mary would recount stories of rowing back and forth to Algonac from Mrs. Klueys’, now Rockhaven Inn, before the introduction of outboard motors.
In 1946, she married Ivan Ashbury and introduced him to Kahshe Lake. Ivan and Mary soon built a cabin (which eventually expanded as their family grew) on the northern tip of Lindhill Island. It was just across the channel from Algonac. In the 1950s, Gordon Hill arrived during the week to bring ice for the icebox before propane and eventually electricity arrived on the island. Mary stayed with their children, Ted and Trish, at the cottage from July 1st to Labour Day every summer, sleeping with a baseball bat under her bed to ward off “varmints” so that the kids could spend the summer swimming, water skiing, and eventually working at Rockhaven Inn. Ivan would join them when he could on weekends and holidays. Trips to Dennes’ to get groceries and the Toronto Star were a daily adventure.
Mary’s happiest moments were spent at Kahshe with Ivan, her children, and eventually, her grandchildren. It was her favorite place in the world. She spent her time at Kahshe developing her passion for arts and crafts – painting innumerable landscapes of the Lake, creating traditional hooked rugs, and making tile tables among the other crafts that populated the cottage. She and Ivan loved to renovate and build indoor and outdoor creations that made the cottage unique. In the 1970s, they moved from Lindhill Island back to Algonac and put their talents to use renovating the old cottage. Mary and Ivan enjoyed their friendships at Kahshe, particularly the group that started the Sunday morning church services held at Rockhaven Inn. The Lake has lost one of its “old stones” but she won’t be forgotten.