Emma (Judy) Maud Marshall (nee Morrow)
1920-2020, age 99
It is with deep sadness we announce the death of Emma (“Judy”) Marshall, who died November 11, 2020, at Park Place Seniors Retirement Residence, Ottawa, Ontario. She is survived by children Jeffrey and Sandra, grandchildren Julie, Patrick (Genevieve), Martin (Mirielle) Archambault and great-grandchildren, Elie, Thomas William and Theodore. She was predeceased by great-grandson Charles. The love of her life and husband, Harry Simpson Marshall, died in1997.
Emma was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on December 22, 1920, the fifth of the eight children of Matilda (Yeates) Morrow and Thomas Morrow. She outlived all her siblings.
In her youth she was given the nickname “Judy”, and used it most of her adventurous life. Because of difficult times in Ireland, Judy was sent to Canada in 1931, along with her sister Helen, to start a new life. They arrived in Quebec City aboard the Duchess of Bedford and lived in Toronto their Aunt Alice. Later she stayed with her Aunt Jean in Winnipeg, and took a business course before signing up with the Royal Canadian Navy in the 1940’s. Posted to Halifax, she joined the Payroll Department.
The family story was that she and her dear friend Polly met their future husbands, Harry Marshall and Charlie Thomas, when the girls had just left the swimming pool at the Stadacona Base. Harry commented, “There’s a couple of clean ones! ”and both those lovely redheads fell for it. Judy and Harry were married on March 17,1945 (St. Patrick’s Day) on board his ship, the HMCS Toronto.
After the war they moved to Montreal, near the Marshall family, where Harry started a manufacturing business. Their son, Charles Jeffrey, was born in 1946 followed by daughter Sandra Jane, in 1948.
Judy enjoyed her lifestyle as a housewife, entertaining Harry’s business associates and surrounded by jovial friends, always the centre of attention. But family always came first and the importance of homework was drilled into Jeff and Sandra from their first day of school.
Judy learned to drive in a Hillman Minx, but life got even better when she moved to a flashier set of wheels, a green Firebird, followed by a white convertible Oldsmobile F-85! She always loved Elvis Presley and collected much of his music. She was an expert seamstress, making doll clothes for Sandra and later, her wedding dress. Judy’s own clothes were conservative, but always stylish. She kept her neat figure because health and sports (skating, tennis, skiing and swimming) were very important to her. Golf with Harry and her friends was a major part of her life, first at their summer home in Fitch Bay, Quebec and later in Naples, Florida, in their retirement home.
Emma loved the cottage at Fitch Bay as much as Harry. She painted it, tended the garden and its massive cedar hedges. She said her favourite time there was by herself in September fighting the ‘dangblasted gout weed’! This feisty lady was always game to try new things and in her 60s, she took up windsurfing. The Narrows at Fitch Bay was renamed ‘Granny’s Folly’ because she frequently got stuck there when the wind died and she had to be towed home by rowboat.
The couple loved to travel and took their children with them on school breaks to Bermuda, Jamaica and Barbados. However, when Harry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s their travel was limited to Florida. Judy then became his devoted and loving caregiver for over 47 years.
A meticulous bookkeeper, she kept their business records well into her 90’s. After Harry’s death in 1997, Judy took back her birth name, Emma, and resumed her travels: to Scotland, Russia and Peru. Her final voyage was to Antarctica, where she was thrilled, sitting in the snow with penguins nibbling her boots!
She enjoyed activities with her grandchildren from picking berries to tennis and golf. She reminded all that there were 4? essentials to learn to do in life: swim, drive, play bridge and dance.
Emma lived with Sandra in Ottawa until 2018, keeping fit by golfing, then walking. But after she broke her ankle, she had an unhappy stay in a rehab hospital. She so wanted to leave that the astonished staff occasionally found her in her wheelchair outside the entrance!
She was transferred to the Alavida Park Place Retirement Residence, where the dedicated staff took excellent care of her. Sandra kept up the family feeling with regular visits, and Emma’s photo albums helped her relive her exciting memories.
Sadly, Covid-19 took away her 100th birthday, but she had a lovely celebration on her 99th, where her children, grandson and two of her adored great-grandsons helped blow out the candles on her cake!
As per Emma’s wishes there will be no visitation and cremation has already taken place. Feel free to make memorial donations in Emma’s name to a charity of your choice.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Emma Maud Judy Marshall nee Morrow Wednesday November 11th 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Ottawa, Province: Ontario