Margaret Ann Kerr-Lawson (née Cowie) of Kincardine, died at the South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Kincardine, Sunday, March 17, 2024. She was 87. Born Dec. 8, 1936, in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, she was the daughter of Gwen (née Hamilton) and Wilson Cowie. Her prairie roots were established at birth and remained close to her heart her entire life. The Cowie family moved frequently as her father's career with Massey-Ferguson took them to Saskatoon; London, Ontario; and eventually Toronto where Marg graduated from Runnymede High School. After high school, she graduated from the Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing in 1958, and her classmates there became steadfast, life-long friends. She met and married Angus, and they moved to Waterloo where he was one of the early lecturers in the Department of Mathematics at the newly-formed University of Waterloo. The birth of daughters Leslie and Kate followed, and the family moved to Dundas, Ontario, and then Boston as Angus completed his Ph. D. and post-doctoral studies. Although Waterloo was always home base, Angus took the family on his sabbatical leaves to Kyoto, Japan, and Marg cherished her time there, embracing the Japanese culture and language. Travel was a passion shared by Marg and Angus through their many years together. Marg earned her B.A. at the University of Waterloo in 1968 and went on to have a successful career working in the Department of Co-ordination and the School of Optometry. The colleagues and friends that both Marg and Angus made over their many years at the university were cherished. After the untimely passing of Angus in 2011, Marg kept busy volunteering, taking Third Age Learning classes, enjoying trips to Stratford with friends, attending the Dharma Centre in Waterloo and travelling to visit family. She loved to spend time knitting and reading. Her cherished book club friends enriched her life beyond the many books they shared together. Marg leaves behind her daughters, Leslie and Kate; sons-in-law, Steve and Jon; and beloved grandchildren, Andrea (Riley), Matt, Jamie and Charlotte; and great-grandchildren, Viola and Levon; as well as her sister, Barbara (Ralph); nephews, Doug and David; niece, Heather; and sister-in-law, Jessie. The family thanks Dr. Gary Gurbin, and the compassionate nurses and the staff at Trillium Court in Kincardine, for the care she received there over the past year. A Celebration of Life will be held in Waterloo in the early summer; details will be published when finalized. Donations in her memory can be made to the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science or the Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation. "Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak, Whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break." Macbeth 4,3, William Shakespeare. Portrait and memorial on-line at www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com. |