Lynne Marshall

It is with deep sadness and many tears that we say goodbye to Lynne Marshall, our beautiful and loving mother, sister, nana and friend. She passed away on January 10th at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary, AB, surrounded by her three children, Tracy (Michael), Todd (Dawn), Nadine (Reza), her brother, Ron (Eva), and many beloved grandchildren, Austin, Elissa (Tanni), Nolan, Sierra (Erik), Hunter (Jen) and Carson (Sophie).

This will not be a typical life story obituary and I blame mother for this. She had an internal compass that steered her away from anything labeled “normal” which she passed along to me.  Ron, Lynne’s younger brother and friend, kindly wrote about her early years and it will make you smile knowing her, apparently our personalities are set at a very young age.

The Early Years

Patricia Lynne (yes this was her legal name but they always called her Lynne) was born in September 1945 to Alan and Hannah Wright, in Edmonton Alberta where her Dad was stationed in the Canadian Air Force.  In 1946 they all moved to Calgary where Alan joined the Fire Department.

Lynne was a precocious and gregarious child, often wandering (some say escaping) from her fenced yard in NW Calgary to meet and have conversations with anyone and everyone she met.

When Lynne was eleven the family welcomed a new baby boy, Ronnie, who she doted over, helping her mom take care of the new addition and later becoming the prime baby sitter.  She took him to movies like Mary Poppins, and to venues around the city like Bowness Park and the Calgary Zoo.

At school, Lynne preferred socializing and wandering the room to chat with classmates, much to the chagrin of her teachers.  She was bright, but found the strict structure of school in the early 1960s did not match her style.  She left to join the work force in office jobs at Ernest Manning high school (ironic!) and the United Grain Growers.  With the money she earned, she was able to purchase her first car, a Kharman Ghia, that came without a gas gauge but had a one gallon emergency tank that she utilized often as the main tank ran dry.  She used that car to expand her home range, and travelled around the city often for work and play.

Lynne had a musical side inherited from her mother, and she sang in several bands during her teenage years, travelling in the Kharman Ghia to rural communities such as Sylvan Lake where they would perform.  Only once in winter did she end up in the ditch in a late night snowstorm!

Lynne was a huge fan of the Beatles in the 60s, and had the walls of her room covered with posters.  She and her cousin Donna would play Beatles music in the basement, and the two would often dance as late as they could get away with.  Just five more minutes would become an hour or two on many occasions.  Somehow she convinced her parents to let her go to Vancouver BC with Donna on a bus to see the Beatles live.  She would reminisce about the experience for the rest of her life.

It’s so true that this trip was one of the highlights of her life and one she cherished greatly. If you look up a Kharman Ghia car, it says a lot about Lynne:  unique, sporty, fun, and good looking. I will carry this forward and write less about the details of Mom’s life and more about her essence, which as it turns out has a lot to do with lipstick.

Our Mother’s Mark

Mom’s and Nana’s lipstick marks on our cheeks were a reminder of how much she loved us and how much she loved lipstick. “What’s that on your cheek?” people would often ask and we’d know immediately, “Oh, that’s my Mom’s lipmarks. She kissed me earlier.” Never did she leave the house or enter even the dentist’s office without it.  She didn’t need a mirror to apply it, the dark cranberry coloured lipstick was put on first, followed by her favorite lip-gloss to shine things up, then a tissue between her lips to dab  the excess and make it the perfect application every time. Then came the smile, her bright beautiful smile that lit up the room. She was sparkly inside and out, with a twinkle in her eyes that expressed a deep love for life and all the people in it.

Her family and friends were her nourishment. She invested much of her time, energy, and love into creating cohesive, loving relationships with her children, brother and friend, Ron, cousin and friend, Donna, her many friends, and her six grandchildren whom she spent many hours caring for and entertaining over the years.”I can’t believe how Nana kept everyone’s important life details in her memory,” Sierra said recently, “She would always check in to see how I did on an exam or ask how my doctor’s appointment went, or my date with Erik. She remembered the details and checked in which made me feel loved and cared for. She was amazing this way.” Mom was our family connector and kept us all informed and abreast on what was happening in everyone’s lives.  She remembered the big things and small things and made us feel cared for and loved by phoning or texting, “How are you doing, sweetheart?”

Lynne made us all laugh with her great sense of humour and her funny facial expressions. She had a lot of Aunt Elsie, her mother’s sister, in her. Think Lucille Ball with her funny faces and wide eyes and you’ll get the idea. Lynne loved to have fun, and while life dealt her some hard knocks, as it does, she kept her sense of wonder and joy and humour about the unpredictability of life.

“Your Mom is the kindest person I know,” her dear friend, Laverne, shared before she died. Lynne loved to get to know people, she asked questions and really listened and had a knack for making people feel heard. Even when she was in the hospital and not sleeping well or feeling well, she was kind and asked the nurses how they were doing and gave them a laugh with some silly comment or joke or funny facial expression.  Her kindness made a difference to many, many people.

“I could write a best-selling book about all the interesting people I’ve met at the casino,” Lynne often said. The Grey Eagle was her playground for the past several years, not so much for the gambling but the people and the socializing. She met a group of friends every Tuesday for dinner and a catch up and knew a lot about all the people who worked there also, the servers and the regular customers. She would proudly introduce us to her friends at the casino when we met her for dinner, which was often. The Grey Eagle was Mom’s equivalent to the “Cheers” bar, where everybody knew her name and she knew theirs. Thank you to all who knew our Mom and took time to chat and share stories with her. She appreciated you all and will be sad that she can’t come to sit and chat any longer. Alas, be sure, she is currently in heaven ordering wine with ice, cigarette in hand, looking for the nickel slot machines and someone to chat with.

Our last big celebration with Mom was her 80th birthday party. This was September 19th and she was spry and smiling and happy (except she didn’t like the big number 80 hanging in the window). She was surprised when her long time friend, Margie, popped out from behind the wall (having come from Vancouver) to hug her and wish her a Happy 80th birthday. They had met in their late thirties and were friends for over forty years. Margie arranged many trips over those years, Cruises, Nashville, Canmore, and Victoria where the ladies, Margie, Sheila, Heather, Lynn, and Mom, gathered to spend precious time together and have fun doing it. These trips and times spent with her girlfriends filled her heart full.  

Lynne’s/Mom’s/Nana’s lips will no longer be marking our cheeks but her mark is indelible for she touched us with laughter, a sparkle in her brilliant blue eyes, a gorgeous and contagious smile, and a mischievous, adventurous nature that made life more fun for everyone.

“She was truly one of a kind, “cousin Donna said when I spoke to her on the phone.

She was indeed. One of a kind.

Please join us in raising a glass of white wine (with ice!) to Lynne, Mom,Nana…thank you, thank you, thank you for making life more loving, more fun, more full of kindness, and for leaving your indelible mark on us all. You live on in each one of us…your precious legacy… your family and friends. We love you and miss you fiercely.

For all who loved Lynne, we will be creating an epic Celebration of Life event in the late Spring (her favorite time of year). Invitations will be sent out to all those she knew and loved her and we will have one last hoorah to honour her. She will be celebrating with us in Spirit.