Maria Aldunate-Diaz

Peacefully, with her children by her side, Maria passed away on September 10, 2020 at Mississauga Hospital. Dearly beloved wife of the late Alejandro (Alex) who passed away on October 29, 2000.

Cherished mother of Maria Alexandra, Daniel and his wife Kim, and Paul and his wife Melissa.

Loving Abuela of Maya, Chloe, Matias, Xavier, Amelia and Chace. She was the sixth child of the late Daniel and Maria Diaz Bobadilla and the dear sister to Sonia, Deyanira, Marta, Virginia, Eugenia, Eglantina, Dario, Rodrigo and the late Nelfa. Sadly missed and fondly remembered by her many nieces, nephews and extended family in Chile. Maria was affectionately known as Maru to her close friends and Abuela to her grandchildren.



Those looking for a standard obituary have read far enough. For what follows is a story of love and belonging.

To speak of Maria is to speak of family. Maria was the 6th of 10 children and one of eight sisters who became known as las hermanas Diaz. Together they would form a bond unshakeable by time, geography and politics. Under the watchful eyes of their parents Daniel and Maria Diaz Bobadilla, the siblings enjoyed all what life had to offer with what little they had. Stories abound about that house on Bulnes, from the hijinks of her mischievous older brothers, to the courtships of each of the sisters, to the mystical accounts that could have been torn right out of the pages of the House of Spirits. While tales vary depending on sibling asked, what is clear is the foundation of familial love that the house on Bulnes was built on. Earthquakes, of both the geophysical and geopolitical kind, would leave their scars, but the house would stand.

Much of her youth was spent at the family’s modest summer cottage in the Chilean countryside town of Olmue. It was here where Maria developed a fondness for country life and that little cottage that would later become her passion project in her golden years. She also felt right at home sitting atop a horse. That she spent so much of her youth around horses became evident when she later returned with her own children. After a few hours teaching us the basics of riding, Maria gently settled us down on the side of a dirt road, mounted her horse and turned to her sister, Tia Eglan. There was an exchange of sly grins, followed by an undecipherable yell, and in an instant the two took off sprinting into a full gallop, each trying to best the other. Her children watched, with their mouths agape, at the irreconcilable scene of their shy and demure mother in a jockey stance racing down the road, kicking up dirt into our faces. It was then that we realized that there was much more to Maria than just mom.

For the Diaz family, education was paramount- a value that Maria would later instil in her own children. Maria came from a long line of teachers and was proud how her father was one of some renown. Her own academic success was eased by a life-long love of books and learning. Upon finishing a degree at the University of Chile, it seemed fitting that Maria would embark on a career teaching high school biology.

Her education was also the window for which romantic love entered her life. Sensing Maria was struggling a little with math, her father employed one of his best students to help tutor her. This tutor, a math/chess wiz and budding meteorologist named Alejandro, would become the love of her life.

They soon married and started a family with arrival of daughter Alexandra followed by their son Daniel. Those early years were difficult as Alejandro was away for long stretches doing climate research in the Antarctica for the University of Chile. But they persevered. The real test came when Alejandro was offered a career opportunity in Toronto working for Environment Canada. Maria was faced with the difficult decision of leaving her tight knit family, friends and career to go off to a country she knew little of.

To say those first few years in Canada were hard on Maria is an understatement. She did her best to hide the pain of separation from her family, but we knew. She sacrificed much and asked for little in return. It was probably the arrival of Paul, the last of her three children, that brought joy back into her life.

Maria took up the daunting challenge of raising her new family in an unfamiliar terrain. Strong willed, she overcame language and cultural obstacles to upgrade her education and find gainful employment in order to help provide for her family. She made lifelong friends with whom she shared numerous adventures and laughs with. She loved sharing her jams, flans and famous Mil de Hojas cake with anyone she could. She found the kindness of Canadians- many of them new immigrants themselves-comforting and welcoming. Before long, a sense of belonging grew in the Aldunate household. Canada, indeed, would be the place to set down new roots.

Most of all, she wanted her children to thrive. So, she got them engaged in whatever activity or sport she could, guided them through the ranks of education, and made sure that our home was place of love and support. Soon she realized, not only could her family be happy here - they could also flourish. And flourish they did. Proud she was of her children’s successes.

Maria understood the concept of terroir and did her best to create the conditions from her upbringing for her transplanted children. Immersing us in Chilean culture and cuisine, she desperately tried to bridge the gap of our two countries. In those early years the cost of travel (long distance phone calls for that matter) were prohibitively expensive. Ever resourceful, she and her sisters resorted to secretly taping Christmas dinners-hiding the tape recorder under the table- and then mailing the cassettes so they could vicariously enjoy the experience together.

Maria was not content in nurturing her roots with just her family- she wanted to share it with her new community. She found a job with the local school board teaching Spanish on Saturdays. With the local Brampton Chilean community, she looked forward to participating in the annual Carabram festival. Every year, she and Alexandra enjoyed donning traditional garbs and manning the booth displaying the various Chilean artifacts collected over the years.

Not everything she loved made sense to us. Her children were at a loss to understand her love of boleros. Our dad tolerated her crushes on Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones and Pierre Elliot Trudeau. When Trudeau came to Brampton, Maria lined up to shake his hand. Such was the promise for immigrants like us, our mom wanted to meet the person who helped make it true.

As we became more financially stable, trips to Chile became more frequent and Maria once again could spend quality time with her dear family and looking after the old summer cottage. Although she always returned looking healthier and seemingly younger, she was nevertheless happy to be back in her adopted country with her husband and children only a hug’s distance away.

Maria embraced Canada with Alejandro and her children, wrapping themselves in the pleasures of all four seasons. Spring is when Maria immersed herself in her garden on Hedgeson Court and every summer meant outdoor excursions, camping and day trips to Ontario Place or Centre Island. The stunning colours of Autumn may have been her favourite while the Canadian winters offered the chance to enjoy what she never had in Chile - white Christmases.

In her final years, her love of old movies kept her up way too late, awakening later in the day for her ritualistic tea and toast. Her remaining energy was spent reading, tending the gardens of her children, and knitting, hats, scarves and sweaters for her beloved grandchildren. A deeply spiritual person, she was a fixture at her church, participating in the annual bazaars by selling her knitted creations for charity. In the years to follow Alejandro’s passing, she surprised us with her independence, but we should have known better. Beneath that quiet and pensive exterior was the same adventurous and strong-willed country girl we saw galloping so many years ago. We think one of her proudest moments was when she finally had the chance to visit Jerusalem, a long-held dream fulfilled.

In the end, her final hours were spent as she lived - never dwelling on the “could haves” and “should haves”, but on the “what can I’s”. And most of all, surrounded by the love that bathed her life - right where she belonged.