MARJORIE (RUTH) LAURIE

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MARJORIE (RUTH) LAURIE Marjorie (Ruth) Laurie passed away, with her family members by her side, on March 11, 2011, after a brief period of poor health. Ruth's early years were spent in Cloverdale, Starbuck and Pilot Mound, although she lived in Winnipeg most of her life. During her early years Ruth was a camp leader with Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT). Ruth began her 36 year teaching career after attending Normal School in Winnipeg. She held teaching positions in Carmen and Thornhill, as well as in the St. Vital and River East School Divisions. She was a devoted teacher who was known to collect mittens to give to her students who came to school with bare hands in the middle of winter. Ruth is warmly remembered for her commitment to family members. She devoted much time and energy to caring for her mother towards the end of her life. More recently, she was a caregiver and advocate for Uncle Art and Aunt Edna. Regardless of these commitments, throughout her life, Ruth remained in close contact with other family members through visits, phone calls and long letters. Family members are saddened to realize that it is no longer possible to phone her to talk about a recent bird sighting or other news. Ruth also kept her family's cultural traditions and family ancestry alive. From Ruth, for instance, family members learned about haggis and their presumed ties to Lady Diana and a famous Scottish poet from the 19th century. Perhaps more than anything else, Ruth is remembered for her zest for life. She enjoyed fishing, boating and berry picking for several decades. Ruth maintained a large backyard garden and she could often be found there late into the evening in the summertime. She was always up for a musical performance, a nature walk, a trip to Gimli or even a trip to the ocean. Others remember her encouraging her nieces and nephew to ring strings of bells loudly on the streets of Winnipeg on New Year's Eve. Ruth also thoroughly enjoyed get-togethers with friends and family members to have a cup of tea and swap stories. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choice. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Thursday, July 7, at 11:00 a.m. in Coutu Funeral Chapel, 680 Archibald St. The Coutu family in care of arrangements: E. J. COUTU CO. FUNERAL DIRECTORS 680 Archibald St. 253-5086

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 02, 2011