OBITUARY
Marjorie Leigh Byron Lawrence
February 8, 1931 – December 9, 2018
It is with heartfelt sadness that the family announces the passing of Marjorie, beloved wife, mother and grandmother.
Marjorie (née Coats) was born in Winnipeg, the youngest of four children. She graduated from University of Manitoba in 1952 with a degree in Home Economics. She taught for two years before returning to teacher’s college in Toronto. She moved to Kenora and taught for four more years, when a road trip to the Calgary Stampede with three girlfriends inspired her to head west permanently. Her brother John was already living in Calgary with his wife Audrey. Marjorie’s father, mother, and sister Dorothy soon joined them. Brother Jim had already moved east to Toronto.
Marjorie taught Home Ec. and Mathematics at A.E. Cross, Parkdale and William Aberhart schools and quickly became well-known in the Home Ec. community, serving as president of the Home Economics Association. One sunny afternoon, she attended a strawberry tea at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church and spotted a handsome young man. Soon she and John Lawrence were courting. They were married on December 28, 1964. Marjorie may have retired from teaching the following June, but she never stopped working.
Over the next 54 years of marriage, her leadership abilities, determination, boundless energy and fine sense of humour were channelled into parenting two daughters, Susan and Joan, and into volunteer work with schools, Brownies, Guides and community events in Scarboro. Marjorie was an active member of St. Stephen’s, organizing teas, social events, and fundraisers. She joined the executive of the Calgary Deanery and later the Diocesan Board, serving as president of the Anglican Church Women (ACW), organizing events throughout southern Alberta. Over her three years with the Board she visited each of the 50 churches in the diocese and formed treasured friendships with other remarkable women.
Marjorie also joined the Women’s Interchurch Council and helped plan the interdenominational World Day of Prayer. She served as Warden at St. Stephen’s and was a delegate to the Diocesan Synod and the National Synod.
She was a devoted mother and daughter, sewing clothes for her daughters and her mother and creating Halloween costumes from scratch. Her roast beef and Yorkshire pudding were the highlight of family get-togethers. She was also a dedicated daughter-in-law, making regular trips to Red Deer to see John’s extended family. An excellent grandmother to all four grandsons, she spent countless hours babysitting Joan’s two boys in Calgary.
Her love of travel and adventure was expressed with trips to England, Italy and an Alaskan cruise with John, but most of their voyages were to visit Susan in Australia to get to know their son-in-law and two grandsons there. Closer to home, Marjorie enjoyed spending time at the family cabin at Ghost Lake.
Marjorie’s long struggle with dementia came to a peaceful end at the Sarcee Hospice. The family is grateful for the care and kindness of the staff.
She is survived by her husband, John; brother, Jim (Mary Coats); daughters Susan (Peter Davies), Joan (Noel Roberts); and her grandsons Alexander and Jonathan Roberts and William and James Davies.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Carewest—Sarcee Hospice through the Calgary Health Trust.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Marjorie Leigh Byron Lawrence 2018..
Source: Foster’s Garden Chapel & Crematorium
Death notice for the town of: calgary, Province: Alberta