Marion Kathleen McCracken, nee English, passed away peacefully April 19th on her 91st birthday. Marion is survived by her sister Margery Meier, her five children Kay, Jim, Marilyn, Michael (& wife Gloria), and Karen McCracken, eleven grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and three great, great grandchildren.
Marion will be remembered for her incredible strength, her gentle spirit, her love of children and family, which sustained her right to the end.
She was born and raised in Revelstoke, B.C., taught elementary school in Golden and Revelstoke until she married Bill (W.R.) McCracken. Bill was a C.P.R superintendant, which meant that Marion and the children moved many times, from Revelstoke to Medicine Hat, to Calgary, to Toronto, back to Medicine Hat, and finally to Vancouver. When Bill and Marion retired, they moved to Sorrento and spent over twenty-five wonderful years enjoying the Shuswap. Bill passed away in 1990, leaving Marion to tend their beautiful gardens until she moved to Salmon Arm in 1998.
When the children grew up, Marion went back to school to become a preschool teacher. She became a highly sought after supervisor at a large preschool in Vancouver.
Along with Marion’s many hobbies and talents, her easy-going nature, her love of music — she played the piano, organ, auto harp, and accordian, and sang in the United Church choir in her younger days—she had an adventurous spirit. She travelled whenever the opportunity arose. She and Bill enjoyed camping trips in their van. They loved to explore B.C., the many lakes in the Shuswap, and they once drove across Canada. They traveled through the United States on different occasions, and to Mexico where they were robbed by machete wielding bandits. And how could Marion ever forget the white water rafting trip son Jim signed them up for! After Bill passed away, Margery and Marion enjoyed an unforgetable cruise to Alaska.
Marion was predeceased by her brothers Jack, Jim, George, and Dick English.
Our family would like to thank our mother’s doctor, Dr. Plessis, for her excellent care, the nurses at Shuswap Lake General Hospital who attended Mom in acute care, and the staff at Bastion Place, Palliative Care, for their gentle and thoughtful attention to our mother. Our thanks to David Wallensteen at Bowers Funeral Service and to Rev. Juanita Austin at the First United Church. Mother enjoyed attending, and volunteering at the United Church her entire life. Thank you to all those many people who have sent prayers and support for our mother and our family.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 2 p.m. from the First United Church Hall, Salmon Arm, B.C.
Email condolences may be sent to Marion’s obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice.com