MARIAN RUTH NELSON

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MARIAN RUTH NELSON (nee THOMPSON) Peacefully on March 19, 2017 at the age of 81, Marian passed away at the Grace Hospice in Winnipeg, after a courageous 10 month battle with brain cancer. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Vernon, three sons Robert (Betty) of Vancouver, Douglas (Karen) and children Julia and Tamara of Winnipeg, and Kenneth (Tara) and children Kailey, Blake, and Chase of Calgary. Marian is also survived by her sister Margaret Hill of Winnipeg and her brother Dr. Howard Thompson (Lesley) of Kitchener as well as many nieces, nephews, and other relatives. She was predeceased by her parents Dr, George and Eleva Thompson and brother-in-law Calvin Hill. Marian was born in Windsor, Ontario on July 12, 1935. After high school, she went to teacher's college in London, Ontario. Subsequently, she taught public school in Windsor (four years) and London (three years) - where she met Vern in 1960. After their marriage in 1961, she taught In Winnipeg for another two years. Her special interest and extra training was in teaching handicapped students in Grade One. She also taught Sunday School for many years at St. Vital United Church. In 1975, with her Grade 10 Piano, Marian began teaching music out of her home, then earning the coveted ARCT designation for piano teachers from the Royal Conservatory of Music in 1984. Over some thirty-five years, she taught children and adults primarily from the community of Fort Garry. This time also saw Marian teaching music theory rudiments at the University of Manitoba School of Music (10 plus years). Marian's favorite leisure activities included bridge, cribbage, crosswords, sudoku, scrabble, and jig-saw puzzles. As the mother of three sons, Marian also got involved in canoeing, camping, golfing, curling and enjoyed considerable travel by trailer all over Canada and much of the United States. She also loved the Symphony, Opera, Ballet, and Theatre Centre. Her five grandchildren were also the source of much pride and joy. In later years she became an avid and creative knitting enthusiast and left the family with almost enough yarn to start a yarn store. A most endearing quality was her approach to life that there was no such word as "can't". If friends so wish, in lieu of flowers, a charitable donation in her memory could be made to one of the following; The Marian Nelson Memorial Fund, c/o the Winnipeg Foundation, 1350 One Lombard Place, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 0X3 (www.wpgfdn.org). The purpose of which is to provide on-going funds with earnings directed toward music education in Manitoba or to The Grace Hospital Foundation, 300 Booth Drive, Winnipeg, MB, R3J 3M7 (www.gracehospitalfoundation.ca) in support of the Grace Hospice. A service of remembrance and celebration of her life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, April 24, 2017 at the Neil Bardal Funeral Centre, 3030 Notre Dame Avenue (across from Brookside Cemetery). NEIL BARDAL FUNERAL CENTRE 204-949-2200 neilbardalinc.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 15, 2017