Marion Enid Smith, it is with deep sadness we say goodbye to our wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great grandmother Marion Enid Smith. Marion passed away on January 21, 2015 at Battlefords Union Hospital. Marion is survived by her loving family: her husband of 63 full years, Ed; daughters, son-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Glenda of Spruce Grove, AB: her son Michael of Edmonton, AB; Janice (Ben) of North Battleford, SK: Jillian (Dorian) - Nathan of Saskatoon, SK and Daniel (Alexis) - Jack of Battleford, SK: Marlene of Waldheim, SK; sisters: Olive Jones (Ted) of North Battleford, SK and Doreen Brinkhurst (Raymond) of Gallivan, SK; nieces, nephews and their families. Marion is predeceased by her parents: Harold and Enid Nelson; brothers: Hugh Nelson and Glen Nelson (Lucille) (Helen); sisters: Cora Charbonneau (Slim), Jean Doan (Curly), Eileen Laing (Gordon) and Vivian Bertsch (Peter). The service of Thanksgiving was held on Friday, January 30, 2015 at Third Avenue United Church in North Battleford, SK with Rev. Frances Patterson officiating. The anthem 鈥淚n The Bulb There Is A Flower鈥� was a special tribute to Marion. The hymn selections were 鈥淧art Of The Family鈥� and 鈥淎mazing Grace鈥�. Honourary Pallbearers were most special people in Marion鈥檚 life: Norma Asmuss, Sandra Schmidt, Jerry Nelson, Betty Nelson and Bob and Connie Balance. On January 16, 1926, Marion Enid Smith was born to Harold and Enid Nelson at Cutknife Hospital. She was the fifth child in a family of eight children with five sisters and two brothers. The Nelsons farmed in Gallivan and the children attended the Gallivan School. Marion then graduated from high school in Battleford. Marion met Robert Edward Smith in North Battleford and they were married on June 6, 1951. They raised three daughters, Glenda, Janice and Marlene. Marion and Ed had a long happy marriage of sixty-three years. Marion loved her home and was very happy raising her family there. Some of the happiest times were spent at their cabin with family and friends. Later in life they traveled to Hawaii, Costa Rica, and really enjoyed an Alaskan Cruise. Ed could not have loved her more, but would have loved to love her longer. Family memories were shared by Marion鈥檚 grandchildren. Jillian鈥檚 memories: Grandma brought many talents to her role as what I like to call, a domestic engineer. The term 鈥榟ousewife鈥� just doesn鈥檛 encapsulate the multitasking of this profession and my Grandmother鈥檚 skills were plentiful. She managed a large garden, canned, pickled many foods, most famously her delicious dill pickles and my personal favourite, her delicious baking. My mom and aunts remember coming home from school to the welcoming smells of fresh baking on the counter every day. Grandma made delicacies including top notch ginger snaps, but wow, her finest work was her cinnamon buns. Marion and Ed bought a great cabin on Lanz Point on Murray Lake. They enjoyed this spot with family and friends for forty-five years. Many lifetime friendships were cultivated at the lake, especially with neighbours the Alan and Betty Nelson family, the George and Jean Adams family and the Sam and Irene Nichol family. Grandma proved to be a force to reckon with at game and card playing. Grandma was great at creating a fun atmosphere for that. In 1992 Grandma won a 19 foot trailer at the Lion鈥檚 Booth at the fair. Grandma thought nothing of selling that trailer and taking all of her family to Disneyland. We created wonderful memories there together. 2014 was a special year for our family with the arrival of our baby boys, Nathan and Jack. My mom and grandma shared in great anticipation of the arrival of these great treasures. Our four generation Christmas will always be a special one in my heart. Our boys will know Great Grandma through the stories we will continue to tell. Daniel鈥檚 memories: For many years, Grandma made a point of making Dad all his favorites for his birthday dinner, and of course with a decadent dessert. Specialties came throughout the year, but especially at Christmas. Since many family get togethers do usually involve food, my memories of Grandma aren鈥檛 much different than my dad鈥檚. Now there are foods that won鈥檛 ever be right because they weren鈥檛 made by her. When I moved back to the Battlefords at the beginning of 2007, I had 听an open ended invite to Grandma鈥檚 for lunch, and I took full advantage of it. I wasn鈥檛 just there for the homemade soup and buns though. I really enjoyed spending time with her. When I reflect on her life I can鈥檛 stop thinking about how she lived long enough to meet and hold my son and nephew who came into the world this year. Seeing her light up when one of us handed one of them to her was such a great moment. Later in life I鈥檒l be able to tell them about how he got to meet his great grandma. Alexis and I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a lot of time with Grandma. We were able to see her at her happiest on many occasions. We will really miss her. Michael鈥檚 memories: Grandma鈥檚 kitchen will forever be a very special place for me. It鈥檚 a place we spent a lot of time together. The smell of her world famous cinnamon buns will be something I remember for the rest of my life. When Grandma wasn鈥檛 working wonders in the kitchen, she was a very unassuming card shark. She was a ruthless Kaiser player and showed no mercy, even for her grandsons. But my favorite times playing cards with grandma was when she got the giggles. Then it was only a matter of time before everyone at the table was roaring with laughter. They say a person鈥檚 eyes are a window to their soul. This was true for Grandma. I have never seen someone鈥檚 eyes light up so much when I would walk up to her and give her a big hug. When our visit was almost over I could see this combination of sadness that we had to part, but also the genuine happiness for the time we just shared. Grandma, we are genuinely happy for every moment we shared with you. Alexis and Dorian shared a tribute to Marion based on Ode To A Wonderful Nana by Amanda Hannan:听
听
Grandma had enough happiness to make her sweet,
enough tries to make her strong,
Enough sorrow to keep her human
and enough hope to keep her happy
听
You have touched so many lives,
in your own special way.
Your spirit lives on in all of our memories,
And within all of our hearts.
听
Thank you for all those memories!
You will live in our hearts, our lives,
and our children forever. 听We love
you so much and will miss you immensely!
听
Marion鈥檚 family would like to express our thankfulness for all the expressions of support and sympathy at this time with phone calls, cards, food, flowers and visits. A very special Thank You to family who traveled from Ontario and Alberta to be with us. We would also like to most sincerely express our gratitude to Bob MacKay and his wonderful staff at The Battlefords Funeral Service, Rev. Frances Patterson, Mr. Glenn Goodman, The Sanctuary Choir, and the men and women who prepared the lunch at Third Avenue United Church.
听
By the earth that is Her body
By the air that is Her breath
By the fire that is Her bright spirit
By the living waters of Her womb
The circle is open, but unbroken
The peace of the Goddess go in our hearts,
Merry meet, and merry part, and merry meet again.
Blessed be,
By Barbara G. Walker
听
If you so wish: Memorial Donations to C.N.I.B. 鈥� 1705 McKercher Drive Saskatoon, SK. S7H 5N6 or Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation Inc. Box 1358, North Battleford, SK. S9A 3L8. Interment of cremated remains will take place in the spring with the family when the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming. Funeral Arrangements were entrusted to Battlefords Funeral Service.
