Marie Conkin (nee Brennan). Rumor has it that none of us escapes death. Apparently, Marie did not get this memo. From her diagnosis of Stage IV cancer in 2012 until her exit from this world, Marie defied this universal law time and time again. This 鈥� to show her optimistic outlook and determination to enjoy life with her many loved ones. Per her strong wish, she passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her loved ones in White Rock, BC on February 3, 2016. Marie will be sorely missed but never forgotten by her devoted husband of 55 years, Barrie; her children Anne Marie (Tom) Hawkins; Riley (Allison); and Clare, as well as her grandchildren Connor, Drew and Hannah; and family pets, Guinness and Casey. 聽Always an avid reader, when the bestseller about growing up in an Irish household, "Angela鈥檚 Ashes", was recommended to her she replied, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have to read it. I lived it.鈥� Born on July 2, 1935 to a talented seamstress (Doreen) and a WWI army vet (Harold) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, she survived a hardscrabble childhood along with her 4 siblings, Doreen (Leslie) Dewart; John; Teresa (Bob) Sparrow; and Joyce (Phil) Cels, whose strong bond buoyed one another to the present day. As a young girl, she enjoyed sports and the outdoors, particularly speed skating and cheerleading. Later she became the feisty and compassionate woman we would all know her by. These qualities served Marie well as she sped through with top honors in high school, at St. Boniface School of Nursing in Winnipeg where she graduated as a registered nurse in 1958 and received the medal for 鈥渆xecutive ability.鈥� She then moved on to her first jobs at Vital Statistics and as a public health nurse. Fascinated with how others thought and acted, Marie continued her nursing education to become a psychiatric nurse. This brought her to the Saskatchewan Hospital on the riverbank in the Battlefords. She met the love of her life, Barrie, on a blind date. According to her, he was the one in the group who was such a decent man and would dance with her. According to Barrie, she liked the cheeseburger and chocolate milkshake at the White Spot. Marie had a great sense of style, with her hands in a faux fur muff; she and Barrie were married at St. Ignatius on New Year鈥檚 Eve in 1960 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Continuing under the influences of the Mad Men era and a Catholic upbringing, they had three children in a row in North Battleford, where they made their home and most of their friends until 2010. During those years Marie continued as a nurse at the local Union Hospital then in Home Health as a manager and lastly, in the role she was most proud of, as a palliative nurse in the North Battleford community. Her compassion for others was a core quality that helped many others depart this world with peace and dignity. While keeping up the home and driving all her kids to their skiing, dance, drama and hockey activities, Marie also partnered with her husband in operating Conkin鈥檚 Department Store. The family would spend fun weekends together at Table Mountain skiing, and many summers at their Day鈥檚 Beach cottage reading, visiting with friends and sailing on Jackfish Lake. Marie had a life-long joy of learning and was enormously satisfied taking classes at the University of Saskatchewan toward her B.A. in her 50s. She would recount how nervous she was one time when her English professor asked to meet with her privately after class one day. He asked her what she was doing taking these classes. Not sure what he was driving at, she responded that circumstances in her youth had prevented her from attending university and that she thought she was capable of getting her degree. The professor rephrased his question asking why she was spending her time taking these classes and not working as a professional writer or journalist because she was a superb writer. It was true -- even Marie鈥檚 history papers read like gripping novels. Marie鈥檚 love of music and the arts also spurred her to serve as director of the annual Battlefords Music Festival for several years, which she helped to reorganize so that it would be in good hands for years to come. Having always enjoyed the beauty of BC and wanting to be closer to their children who now dotted the West coast, in 2010 Marie and Barrie moved to White Rock. They enjoyed walks along the Promenade and frequent visits where her children and grandchildren got to savor her great cooking and warm hospitality. The news of the cancer was devastating, but not a show stopper. It only renewed Marie鈥檚 enthusiasm to live life to the hilt. Not even after nearly 50 rounds of chemo, 3 major surgeries and many medical appointments in Vancouver, did she stop fully appreciating each moment here on terra firma with her loved ones. No pity party for her. She met the prognosis with her characteristic grace and grit. Marie carried on, thoroughly enjoying visits to Seattle to attend lectures by Fareed Zakaria and Doris Kearns Goodwin; to Hawaii for one more jaunt to her favorite vacation spot with Barrie; and to Santa Barbara to watch her oldest grandchild graduate. Her incisive wit and humour helped us all bear the advance of cancer. She often quipped, 鈥渆xcept for the cancer, she was very healthy.鈥� Having this time with Marie to share how much we loved her and remember all the happy things we did together may not have made her passing any easier, but it sure didn鈥檛 hurt. She knew love and was loved very much. Marie鈥檚 family would like to thank all the health care professionals for their excellent care, especially Dr. Christian Kollmannsberger and Dr. Peter Pavlovich of the BC Cancer Agency; Dr. Edward Chang. Dr. Charles Scudamore, Dr. Mildred Chang, Dr. Sonia Singh, Dr. Stanislav Romashin and the Fraser Health Authority, particularly White Rock Home Health, including Sue Peck and Dr. Arja Moreau. Marie valued personal growth above all. She will continue to serve as an incredibly strong role model to us all for how to love life and live it to the fullest. Not too bad for a tenacious girl from St. Boniface. Sweet Marie, may you be at peace and on your next great adventure! A celebration of Marie鈥檚 Life will be held in early spring in White Rock, BC.聽Condolences may be shared via聽, Surrey, BC.
