Mary Richard - The Mayor of Main Street

Mary Richard was born on June 7, 1940 in Camperville, Manitoba - a community that she was known to have affectionately refer to as the "Metis capital of the world". She was one of 13 surviving children and from an early age was known for her storytelling abilities.

As a young woman, Mary moved to Winnipeg where she pursued a career in hairdressing and it was also in the city where she met her husband Damas and had a family. As so many women have done through the years, Mary stayed at home, becoming a 'domestic engineer' until her sons were older.

While family and friends were important to her, she was also known for doing things for complete strangers - buying lunch and a bus ticket for a teenage girl she saw crying at the bus station or a suit and two pairs of pants for a recently released inmate she saw on the street. During her career as a social activist Mary was involved with many social service organizations including the Andrews St Family Centre, the National Association of Friendship Centres, the Indigenous Women's Collective, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, the North Main Task Force and was the first CEO of Thunderbird House to name a few.

She ran in the 1999 provincial election as the Conservative candidate in Point Douglas and received 19.5 per cent of the vote. During the federal election the following year she ran for the Liberal Party in Winnipeg North Centre and finished second.

In 2000 she was admitted to the Order of Manitoba. Mary, who has also been called 'the Mayor of Main Street' in recognition of her willingness to make a difference and take action where action is needed, died on September 10, 2010.

More information about Mary Richard;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Richard
http://www.ammsa.com/publications/windspeaker/mary-richard-footprints
http://www.passagesmb.com/obituary_details.cfm?ObitID=168864