Obituary of Marion Eva Edwards

Marion Eva Edwards, beloved mom of Maureen Miller and David Edwards, passed away peacefully at her residence, Hillcrest Place, on Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at the age of 86 years. Marion (née Watson) Edwards spent her final days at Hillcrest Place, on the second floor. Unfortunately, her health had declined by the time of her arrival and she was unable to fully integrate into the activities there. She was born in Heathfield, Sussex, England on September 2, 1924. She was the second eldest of four sisters (Margaret, Gwen, and Freda) and she also had an older step sister (Molly). She spent much of her young life in Streatham Common, a suburb of London. Her formal education ended in 1940, due to the heavy bombing London was experiencing. She was offered and accepted a position with the London Power Company, which was considered an essential service. Two years later, she was conscripted into the Ministry of Information, where she worked with the censors in the Photography Department. She took a volunteer position with the Canadian Soldiers Club, off Trafalgar Square, where she met her future husband Phil, a Saskatchewan farm boy, serving with the Canadian Headquarters (CMHQ) in London. They were married in March 1946, just before he was returned to Canada. She was shipped to Canada, with a large number of war brides, in September. They settled in Reston, MB, where they welcomed Maureen in 1949. In 1951, they moved to a small home on 27th Street in Brandon. Marion and Maureen travelled to England in 1954, where Marion saw her parents for the last time. A son, David arrived in 1956. Marion worked part time at the Wheat City Arena on 10th Street and Victoria Avenue, from 1953 to 1964; doing bookkeeping and handling ticket sales, especially for the Wheat Kings. In 1966, Marion became a secretary at Brandon University in the Faculty of Education. There she acted as an unofficial guidance councellor, where she helped many future teachers solve problems with their programs. She retired from the University in 1985. Marion was an active member of the Canadian Order of Foresters, and was a key member of the War Brides Association that was organized in southwest Manitoba. She deeply regretted that the War Brides eventually disbanded as age overcame the ladies. Marion maintained close relations with her sisters and managed about a dozen trips back to Britain. Her company was much loved by her sisters and their children. She also became a traveller to other locales after her retirement, including trips to Hawaii and the continental United States. Marion is survived by her daughter, Maureen Miller of Brandon and son, David of Calgary. Maureen has three daughters, Jodi (Jeff) Hrymak of Minnedosa, Jenifer McClure of Brandon, and Jillian (Jason) Lawrence of Douglas. David has a son, Geoffrey and a daughter Megan, both of whom live in Calgary. Marion had seven great grandchildren, Emma and Bria (Jodi), Tyson, Abby and Kate (Jenifer) and Tucker and Tristan (Jillian). Marion was predeceased by her husband, Phil in June of 2001. A Celebration of Marion's life was held at the Brockie Donovan Chapel, on Monday, July 25, 2011 with Mr. Lawrence McInnes officiating. A private family interment took place at Rosewood Memorial Gardens. The family would especially like to thank the second floor nurses at Hillcrest Place for their outstanding care. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Marion may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, 415-1st Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 2W8.