Marilyn Grace (Millar) Findlay

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In Loving Memory of
Marilyn Grace 
Findlay
March 12, 1934 ~ July 24, 2023

Lovingly remembered by her children 
 Jo-Anne (Bob), Karen (Don), Kim (Tim),  
Pam (Mustafa) & Reid (Jennifer), grandchildren Sean, Kyle, Connor, Kelsey, Brett, Carmen, Cassidy, Elif, Tev, Devin, Teagan, & Katie, great grandchildren Kiera, Briar, Casey, Rylan, Ryder, Bowen, & Mia.

Passed Away Peacefully
July 24, 2023
Tri-Lake Health Centre
Killarney, Manitoba

Celebration of Life
Friday, August 4, 2023
Killarney United Church 
Killarney, Manitoba
11:00 a.m.

If friends so desire, donations in memory of Marilyn may be made to Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) 28 Pinehurst Cres. Toronto, ON M9A 3A5, or to a charity of one's choice.

Our family is deeply saddened with the passing of our loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Marilyn, on July 24, 2023, after a short battle with Pancreatic Cancer.

Our mother was predeceased by her parents John and Amy Millar, her brother Brian Millar, her sister Doreen Grieve, and her husband Keith.

She is survived by her daughters Jo-Anne Stephenson (Bob), Karen Howell (Don), Kim Howell (Tim), Pam Uslu (Mustafa), and her son Reid Findlay (Jennifer). She is also survived by grandchildren Sean, Kyle, Connor, Kelsey, Brett, Carmen, Cassidy, Elif, Tevfik, Devin, Teagan and Katie and greatgrandchildren Kiera, Briar, Casey, Rylan, Ryder, Bowen, and Mia. She is also survived by her brother Rod Millar (Shirlee) and sister Pat Leroux.

Mom was born in Snowflake, MB on March 12, 1934. Her parents, John and Amy Millar, moved to Snowflake from Scotland (via Lethbridge, AB) where John became the general merchant of the Snowflake General Store for many years before retiring and relocating in Killarney. It was in Snowflake where our mother met our father, Keith. Like many in Snowflake during those days, our mom moved to Winnipeg to attend United College where she completed her high school studies. She later became a registered nurse after completing her training at the Winnipeg General Hospital (now Health Sciences Centre). Mom was very fond of working in the psychiatric ward and often shared stories with her children about those days. A close friend and classmate wrote that Marilyn made everything less serious and problems and experiences less worrisome by her sense of humour and by her outlook on life. These traits served mom well throughout her life. After their marriage in 1956, mom followed our dad to Toronto where he finished his dental training before relocating to Killarney and practicing dentistry for many years.

Mom’s sense of family and community shaped her life. Early in her married life, mom volunteered as a Sunday School Teacher and a C.G.I.T Leader. Nan was the consummate grandmother. She loved being involved in her children and grandchildren’s lives and she lived for the various school concerts, recitals, and sporting events that included figure skating, hockey, ringette, football, and horse rodeos. She enjoyed life and lived every day to the fullest. She had many interests and loved learning new things. All creatures great and small held a special place in her heart (with a nod to James Herriot). Mom loved to spend time with her family and friends, to cook, garden, read, do crosswords, play the piano, and travel. She was very fond of the author Mark Twain who famously said that “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely based on these accounts.” This quote captures the very essence of mom.

Mom had a strong faith in God and embraced the Serenity Prayer for life’s challenges – God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

True to her love of literature, mom told us, “In heaven I’d like to talk to C.S. Lewis and Mark Twain…if there’s not too long of a line up!!”

In memory of mom the family invites you to hug a friend, kiss a loved one, forgive a slight, forget a wrong, extend a helping hand to all, sit quietly at sunset counting your blessings and, above all, tell someone thanks and how much they mean to you. For so long as people do this, the spirit and essence of mom will live on in this world, while she journeys in the next.

If friends so desire, donations in memory of Marilyn may be made to Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) 28 Pinehurst Cres. Toronto, ON M9A 3A5, or to a charity of one's choice.

Special thanks to the staff at Tri-Lake Health Centre who provided excellent care and support to mom and to our family, to Matthew and Garth Nichol and staff at Wheatland Funeral Service, to Minister Beth Clark, to pianist and organist Jean Lawson, the choir, to the UCW for preparing and serving a delicious lunch, and to all of those who have expressed their condolences, sent flowers, or delivered us food.

The Millar clan will know and appreciate the significance of ending mom’s obituary with her request to use the 494 reference – “God be with you until we meet again.”