At this time of Thanksgiving, we remember with gratitude the life of Marion Margaret Cumming.
Marion was an inspired and inspiring teacher. She believed that knowledge, creativity and love could change the world, and her passion to nurture everyone’s pure light was one of her many gifts. Marion’s dining room table was home to weekly art circles, where she taught and encouraged artists of all ages. The art circles were so successful that she also hosted book circles and writing circles. There was always room for one more book in her astonishing “home lending library”, and one more person in her circle of love.
She was a force for good, drawing many into her lifelong activism, focused on caring for people and the Earth. During the pandemic, Marion could be found making healthy meals, packaging them up and delivering them to the homeless. “I want them to know that someone cares!” she would say. When out and about, she was known for her drive-by check-ins on trees, making sure developers were not removing them. Marion lived her life by example. In her mid-80s, pushing a walker, she could be found in the thick of a protest on the lawn of the BC Legislature waving her effective, artistic handmade signs. Her presence and voice were strong, and she was committed to supporting the Wet’suwet’en land protectors and protecting BC’s old-growth forests. As many will attest, from Fredericton to Victoria, Marion’s combination of courteous grace and gentle yet firm determination earned her the affectionate nickname “The Velvet Bulldozer”.
Marion was an inspired poet, writer and speaker. An accomplished and prolific artist, she recently created paintings for the Mother Tree Network; to commemorate the missing children of residential schools; and in support of protesters at Fairy Creek. Her art was an integral part of her wide-ranging activism in support of Indigenous rights, the environment, community, and heritage preservation. A number of her works will be housed at the University of Victoria and in the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
Marion and her husband Bruce (d. 2008) were among the first Canadians in the land return movement, gifting, in the 1990s, their 280-acre farm near Fredericton to the Wolastoqiyik people. Her “Qhahtumtun” property on Quw’utsun territories was donated to the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, as is “Chikawich Sacred Land”, her Oak Bay home and garden on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen-speaking peoples. She hoped that these examples would inspire others to consider doing the same.
Marion’s greatest gift was her kind and gentle way of making people feel loved and respected. A Christian Scientist since her teenage years, she lived a life of deep faith, spirituality and gratitude. She truly saw the world as one. Her words shall echo long in the hearts of those who knew her: “We Are All Family”. If you wish to honour Marion’s life, make a donation of love: Love for your neighbour, for your family, for those you may never meet.
Marion died peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones. She was predeceased by her husband, Professor Bruce Cumming, and her parents, Florence Underwood Adams and Gordon Adams. She leaves, with love, her brother, Professor John G.U. Adams of London, UK; Bruce’s sister Diana Macfadyen of London, UK; her nephews and nieces Laura, Thomas, Angus, Flora, and Rachel; her cousins, including Arden Magill and Margaret Schilling; and her community of loving family, friends, and colleagues across Canada and around the world.
Her life will be honoured with gratitude at a gathering on Saturday, October 22, 2022, from 2–4:30pm at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre, Oak Bay High School, 2121 Cadboro Bay Road, Victoria, B.C. The event will also be livestreamed at www.lumeraevents.com/marioncumming
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Marion Cumming nee Adams July 26 1936 (Toronto Ont.)–August 1 2022 (Victoria BC)..
mccall gardens funeral and cremation service
Death notice for the town of: Victoria, Province: Colombie britanique