Obituaries

MARILYN MARGARET LAWRENCE (nee JAMES) It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Marilyn Lawrence on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 with her family by her side. Left to cherish Marilyn’s memory is her husband of 51 years, Robert (Bob); children, Jeff, Brad (Lorraine); and sister Eileen (Fred). She was predeceased by her parents Margaret and Charles; as well as by her sister, Audrey. Mom was raised in Winnipeg. She met her husband to be on a blind date. They married on October 7, 1960 and had two sons who were her pride and joy. Both mom and dad loved the outdoors. Much time was spent together as a family at Lee River. She loved sitting by a camp fire sharing a wiener, Pepsi and laughs with family and friends but nothing made mom happier than sitting behind dad as they took many ventures on their motorcycle. Who could forget the trips to Grand Forks and the five star accommodations at the Plainsman Motel? No matter where mom and dad set up roots, a garden was sure to follow. Life was just not complete without home grown tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. She inherited her love of plants and flowers from her father. Her grandfather had a farm in Charleswood and Sundays it was mandatory to be in the garden pulling weeds and picking veggies. Mom of course only pulled the veggies she wanted to eat right then. In later years she and dad carried on the tradition of growing vegetables with dad doing the manual labour and mom supervising. Mom was very artistic and her ceramics and paper tole still decorate her sister’s home. She took pleasure in the simple things of life, like a fresh breeze, or a meal of Bush beans but also had a weak spot for pretty and fragrant things. Party Lite truly was one of the loves of her life. She was eclectic in all things and never was that so obvious than in her music choices. The common thread between Bon Jovi, and Barry Manilow was mom. Family was important to mom even the four legged, orange ones. She relished family dinners at Brad and Lorraine’s, nothing made her happier than a home cooked meal that someone else prepared for her. She cherished her weekends at Lee River with Dad and Jeff, greatly valued the time spent with Colette, Keith and the kids, reminisced fondly over the many adventures the family took to visit Eileen and Fred in California and enjoyed holiday celebrations with the Lawrence clan. In accordance with mom’s wishes no formal Service will be held. A gathering of family and close friends to honour her life will take place in the spring. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to Colette for her unwavering friendship, compassion and support over the years. The family would also like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to the staff of the Grace Hospital, particularly the staff on 3 South for the care and compassion they provided mom during her stay. In lieu of flowers, if family and friends so desire, donations may be made to a charity of their choice.   As published in the Winnipeg Free Press on February 18, 2012