Marjorie Niedzwiecki

Marjorie is survived by her daughter Nancy (David) of Lethbridge; son Alan (Moyca) of Laguna Beach, CA; Moyca’s daughter Clara; grandsons Michael Hatton of Calgary and Christopher Hatton (Celia); and great-granddaughter Penelope Hatton, all of Edmonton. She is also survived by her sister Judith Roberts of Halifax, NS and brother Robert Mason of Dartmouth, NS.

She is predeceased by her parents Frank and Laura Mason; brother Frank Jr and sisters Shirley and Joan.

Marjorie’s life was ordinary, but not mundane. She left school in her mid-teens to help put food on the table for her five brothers and sisters. The lack of high school diploma did not shape who she was. She was well-read and had a keen interest in current affairs, nationally and internationally. The times she grew up in, the Dirty Thirties and World War II, instilled a frugality in her, but she was never cheap. She was a wonderful seamstress who made her own wedding dress. She was a devotee of Vogue Designer Patterns. They were not for the faint of heart or the novice sewer, but she had no problem turning out professionally crafted outfits from them.

Marge was predeceased by her beloved husband, Albert in 1985. They met on a blind date in Halifax in 1949. Al had only been a Mountie for two years and had applied for a transfer to the Northwest Territories. They hit it off and even though his stint up north would last three years, they wrote letters and planned their life together when he got back. They were married in 1953. Mounties’ wives tended to hold down the fort at the more remote detachments while their husbands were on patrol and Marge did her share. They spent the first 20 years of married life in the Maritimes before Al was promoted to superintendent and transferred to Lethbridge.

She loved the West and Lethbridge’s proximity to the Rockies. It was a chance to take up skiing, both cross country and Alpine. The family spent many happy weekends at Castle Mountain, then known as Westcastle. Marge loved to entertain friends and family. She always sent you on a road trip with a delicious picnic lunch. She would never turn down an opportunity to play Monopoly, Train Wreck, or any kind of card game.

She was also an automobile aficionado especially of the British persuasion, owning with Al, a series of Jaguars, Austins, MGs, and Triumphs all with manual transmission, which proved no deterrent to her. But in the later years, it was her Jeep Rubicon that stole her heart. She always said when she couldn’t lift her legs up and over the doorsill of the Jeep, she would hang up the keys and she did, when she was 90. She lavished her love and treats on her granddogs Harry and Leo; and grandcats Goose, Raj, and Spooky. She was predeceased by many previously loved grandpets.

Marge was able to travel extensively with Alan on his business trips to the far East, Europe, and the Middle East with Nancy and David when they lived in Abu Dhabi.

Her family would like to sincerely thank Dr. Louise Dalphond, her family physician for close to three decades, for her care, kindness, and concern for Marjorie’s well-being. Also, many thanks to the wonderful caregivers at St. Michael’s and St. Therese for their attention to Marjorie’s needs.

At Marjorie’s request, she was cremated, and there will be no funeral. A private Interment in Mountain View Cemetery will occur in the spring.

In lieu flowers, please donate to one of the charities she had donated to over the years: Lethbridge Humane Society (lethbridgehumanesociety.com), Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation (crhfoundation.ca), Samaritan’s Purse (samaritanspurse.ca), and the Salvation Army (salvationarmy.ca).

We love you. We miss you. Thanks for everything, mom.

Arrangements entrusted to Cornerstone Funeral Home.