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Mearnie Irene Summers

Athlete. Sailor. Teacher. Gender pioneer. Born Jan. 26, 1927, in Vancouver; died Jan. 7, 2017, in Salt Spring Island, B.C., of pneumonia; aged 89.

Mearnie's father often told the story of how he was fixing the roof of their Vancouver home when he suddenly realized his 1-year-old had crawled out onto the roof behind him. Mearnie remained an intrepid adventurer through close to 90 years of life.

Mearnie excelled at every sport. She was a star player on baseball and basketball teams in the 1940s and '50s, and earned money for university as a professional softball player with the Chicago Bluebirds in 1947. She was considered for nomination to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, but the nominator withdrew support when Mearnie insisted on describing herself as a "happy lesbian." Mearnie taught physical education at several Vancouver schools and three universities and served as consultant on movement education for the Vancouver School Board.

Mearnie started square-dance calling while still at university and became a nationally known caller with her own band. On Thursday nights, over 1,000 people attended her square dances in Stanley Park. She coached prize-winning waltz teams in the 1950s and '60s, and still taught private dance lessons in her 80s.

Mearnie sailed for over 40 years, including excursions to Tahiti and Alaska. She was reported to be the first woman to sail alone around Vancouver Island in 1969.

At the age of 27 Mearnie was diagnosed with cancer and she had a double mastectomy. Many friends who faced breast cancer later in life received supportive phone calls and belligerent advice, "Cut it off! I'll buy you a better one!" Mearnie had to be a fighter to survive the continual challenges she faced as a gender non-conforming woman without breasts. She was confronted daily in her navigations of the social norm, for everything from her work choice to her washroom choice.

Mearnie retired early from teaching and bought a store at Surge Narrows, off the east coast of Vancouver Island, which she ran with then partner Jean Brown. In addition to the general store and post office, she acquired a 50-foot barge that loggers hired to deliver equipment to remote locations.

Mearnie and I met in 1984 and became life partners in 1986. We spent our first 10 years together at Thwaytes Landing, a remote property in Indian Arm, north of Vancouver. Thwaytes Landing is now a park, thanks in part to a generous donation by Mearnie.

Mearnie's home was always a haven for women who loved women, but it was not until after we met in the 1980s that she began to define herself as a lesbian and to advocate for gay rights. She was a founding member of GLOSSI (Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island) and a vocal supporter of marriage equality. We were married in 2004, when it became legal.

On Salt Spring, Mearnie helped create the Heiwa Garden to remember the injustice experienced by interned Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. She also took up rustic furniture making and became a highly regarded craftsperson and offered chainsaw lessons.

Mearnie suffered ill health in her 80s as she struggled with a devastating combination of brain disease and alcoholism. After a health crisis in 2012, she spent her last 4 years in a residential care facility. These years were precious, as she became more peaceful and content, forging loving relationships despite her disabilities.

Mearnie enjoyed philosophy in the form of the gnomic sayings that she would carve into logs with her chainsaw. Some that best express her irrepressible spirit are: "One lives the most who touches life the most;" "Let happiness be your companion and not your goal;" and "Pass it on!"

Caffyn Kelley is Mearnie's partner.

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Lives Lived celebrates the everyday, extraordinary, unheralded lives of Canadians who have recently passed. To learn how to share the story of a family member or friend, visit tgam.ca/livesguide.

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