Marion leaves her husband, Ken, son Don (Debbie Millar), daughter Cathy Morrissey (Darrell) and son Ian, granddaughters Sarah Miller (Kevin), Robyn, Grace, and Great Granddaughter Hannah Miller. She was predeceased by her brother Ken Ellis (Louise). Arrangements through Cresmount Funeral Home. Cremation has taken place and a Celebration Of Life will be held at a future date. Donations can be made to the Neighbour 2 Neighbour Centre in Hamilton in Marion's memory.
Marion left a promising career as a laboratory technologist specializing in microbiology to become a domestic philosopher, a homemaker supreme who cared for and nurtured her husband, children, grandchildren, and several senior relatives through trying times. She was our family’s rock and at the same time our cushion, sheltering us from life’s vicissitudes. A confidante to many, her keen mind and kind nature were a help and comfort to all. Marion was equally competent and confident as she chatted with the British Minister Of Education or the director of the Tate Gallery at dinner at the High Table at Jesus College, Oxford, or discussing efficacy of various herbs on a medicine walk with a MicMac elder at Bear River Reserve in Nova Scotia!
Ah, but do not dismiss her as a mere homemaker! She volunteered for more than thirty years as a nature interpreter at the Royal Botanical Gardens, introducing countless children to the wonders of nature. Even in retirement, she founded S.W.I.N.E (Some Women In Nature Interpretation) to carry on this interest with fellow volunteers. As well, her organizing skills resulted in bowling groups and swimming clubs among her many friends.
Marion enjoyed life to the fullest. An avid cross-country skier, a square dancer (both modern and old-time), she even won a dance contest in the Dominican Republic! She was a great swimmer, both at Quinn Lake and Huntington Park Pool, and loved ice skating, including the 7 k long Rideau Canal in winter.
Always an adventurer, she canoed the mighty Fraser River in BC and the Everglades in Florida as well as many paddles in between, tripping in Algonquin, Killarney, Quetico to name a few. Her adventures took her across Canada and beyond, and included climbing Gros Morne in Newfoundland and attempting Mount Assiniboine and other peaks in the Rockies. Marion hiked parts of the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska and the Bruce Trail in Ontario, as well as most of the trails in Algonquin Park! She camped in everything from small tents to RV’s, spending parts of 59 summers at Quinn lake and 30 in Algonquin, as well as every province, the Yukon, Alaska and parts of the U.S.
Music was always an important part of Marion’s life. She was lead snare drummer in the Delta Bugle Band, and progressed from there to enjoying a wide range of music throughout her lifetime…jazz, rock and roll, big band, country, folk…often at live venues latterly such as the Artword Artbar or the Pearl. She was especially known by her many friends across the province as a singer around the nightly campfires. She possessed a lovely voice and a phenomenal memory for lyrics, ranging from “Skinamarink” for the younger crowd to “Chastity Belt” and “Seven Old Ladies” for the older crowd when the kids had gone to bed, and “Log Driver’s Waltz” for Darrell. She was always popular!
We will all miss her greatly, but rejoice in the fact that she brought so much joy into our lives for so many years!
Goodnight, Sweetheart, Ken
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