It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marie Michelson-Meckling of Weyburn. Marie passed away on December 2 at the Weyburn hospital with her husband, children and some of her siblings around her. She is predeceased by her parents; William and Irene Michelson, her in-laws; Ed and Irma Meckling, all of Lipton, and also by one infant niece, Kayla Fisher. Leaving to mourn is her husband Ken of 44 years, her son; Tyler of Weyburn, daughter; Chelsey Falk (Jordie) and grandson, Dayne of Dundurn. Marie is also survived by her brothers and sisters; Roger (Dana) Michelson of Barrie, ON and their daughters, April and Vanessa. Warren (Debbie) Michelson of Moose Jaw, and their children; Paul, Krista, Kimberly, and Brent. Richard (Kathy) Michelson of Barrie, ON and their children; Emily, Bill, Maggie and Leslie. Carol (Richard) Fisher of Abbotsford, BC and children; Kent, Ryan, Arron and Avry. Ken Michelson (Debbie) of Lipton, and his children; Shane, Grant, Sheri, and Chantel. Connie (Pierce) Roberts of Thompson, MB and their children; Brendan and Kristen. Garth Michelson (Brenda) of Regina. One sister-in-law; Audrey Meckling of Weyburn. Also, 13 great nieces and nephews as well as many other friends and relatives. Marie was born in Lipton in 1947 and was the second eldest of eight children. She was raised on a farm and truly loved the rural life. She attended Headlands country school, later Lipton School and graduated high school in 1966. She was active in 4-H, Glee Club and participated very successfully in many singing talent competitions. She sought out a summer job with SaskPower in Regina and returned to work for them permanently after high school. She had a lengthy career with SaskPower and SaskEnergy and retired with 35 years of service. After retirement she worked part-time with Weyburn and Area Supportive Employment Services and was involved with Weyburn and Area Council of Drug Abuse. Marie's priority was her family. Her children meant the absolute most to her and she was so proud to see them to adulthood and for them to continue on in achieving successful careers. Marie was the matriarch of her family and was always arranging and hosting gatherings for family birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas suppers. She was consistent in remembering family and friends special occasions and would labor over finding the perfect gift for those events. She had a deep connection with her nieces and nephews. She was dedicated to her parents and Ken's parents and throughout the years continued to return to their homes to lend a hand with yard work, painting or just visiting. When her parent's health declined in their later years, she went above and beyond to take charge of their care striving to balance her family, her career and their numerous doctor appointments and hospitalization. She was passionate and compassionate over social issues of those less fortunate and would not hesitate to take a stand and speak up. In her last year at SaskEnergy she became aware of the Saskatchewan Breast Cancer Study. She volunteered time and office space to assist the team in collecting data from Saskatchewan women across the province. The organization aimed at recruiting 100,000 women throughout the province to take part in a computer questionnaire to find commonalities about their lifestyle and environment that could be linked to breast cancer. In an ironic twist of fate, she herself was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer just months after her retirement. She underwent a mastectomy and began chemotherapy. She said. "I have two choices; be a victim or be a fighter", and fight she did. It was that fighting spirit that led her to continue work on the Sask Breast Cancer Study. And, she did win the battle with cancer for a while and remained cancer free for 6 years. Sadly in 2008 the cancer had metastasised into her bones. Again, she steeled herself and fought the fight, never letting it break her spirit and her motto was; "it is, what it is". She was a volunteer and an advocate for the Relay for Life. She also served as a board member of the Weyburn Cancer Society. She delighted at becoming a grandmother and that truly was the highlight of her remaining life. In 2010 she pursued a lifelong dream to go to Europe and visit her grandparent's origins in both Switzerland and England. With two of her siblings in tow, she did visit those places and met numerous cousins and delighted in finding new ones. She was filled with excitement and joy making stops in Greece, Italy, and Paris, France. Many times over the last couple of years she reflected again and again about the enjoyment of this trip. Marie was an extremely creative person and had both flare and passion for her decorating, style and design. Her creativity and style could be seen in her personal presentation and throughout her home and garden. She would work on projects until the wee hours of the morning in seeking perfection. Marie can also best be known for her sense of humor and being a bit of a prankster. She loved to laugh and had no inhibitions of dressing in some crazy garb to get a laugh out of others. She always had a bold spirit and fierce determination and it was that determination that carried her through her declining health. In the last year and a half of her life she was faced with new health challenges and her fighting spirit remained until the end. In her last few days with her children, her husband and her siblings around her, she continued to remain in good spirits and her sense of humor shone through. She was loved, cherished and will never be forgotten by all of those who knew and loved her. A Celebration of Marie's Life was held on Thursday, December 6 at 7:30 PM from the Calvary Baptist Church, Weyburn and a funeral service was held on Friday, December 7 at 11:00 AM from St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church, Weyburn with Fr. Rick Krofchek and Pastor Doug Loden officiating. A private family interment took place at a later date in Lipton. Pallbearers were: Brendan Roberts, Kent Huber, Ryan Huber, Arron Huber, Paul Michelson and Grant Michelson. Donations can be made to the Cancer Patient Lodge, 4104 Dewdney Ave, Regina, SK S4T 1A3 or the Canadian Cancer Society. The family wishes to thank all the hospital and health care professions for their dedication and kindness. Family and friends are invited to sign the online tributes page at www.fletcherfuneralchapel.com. Arrangements entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Chapels, Weyburn (306) 842-5432.
