On April 15, 2019, GRACE MARKS, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, at the age of 89 years, made her journey home to reunite with her husband Stan, family and friends.
Grace is survived by her brother and life-long best friend, Ross Chambers; and her children, Garry (Elly) Marks, (Lomond), Delores (Pat) Honess (Lomond), Darlene (Ralph) Peckford (Lethbridge), Barb (Rob) Kusnir (Taber), Cindy (John) Steenbergen (Lethbridge) and Helen Marks (Lethbridge).
She was predeceased by her husband Stan Marks (of over 72 years), parents, brothers, sisters and many dear friends.
Grace was an amazing person and accomplished so many things. Her greatest loves were her family, friends and hard work! Her family and friends came first beyond all else. From a youngster until her last days, her compassion and genuine love for others was always evident.
Grace Pauline Chambers was born June 4, 1929. In the year Grace was born, there was an outbreak of diphtheria and many of the babies born that year did not make it home with their mothers or died shortly after birth. When her mother, Annie, told the tale of Grace's birth, you could still hear the fear in her voice. Annie could not believe her tiny brown-eyed baby girl had fought so hard and made it through childbirth. While praising the good Lord for this miracle, her mother would always say, "She had to fight her way here, and she has never backed away from anything or anyone since." At a very young age, Grace and her brother Ross, were the best of friends. Where one was, the other was close behind. She was her brother's greatest admirer and when in trouble for some daring adventure gone wrong, she was his biggest defender. Even when the foe was mighty, Grace would stand up for what was right. She was determined and courageous from the moment of birth and it served her well throughout the many hard times in her life. She absolutely never ever knew the meaning of" giving up" and if you were one of her family, you better not either.
Grace married her school sweetheart, Stan Marks, in 1947. Their love of over 72 years was so strong and powerful that no hardship or heartache could ever conquer them. Together, they would journey on building the life they wanted for their family. They were so thrilled to be blessed with five children, ten grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. This was Grace's greatest joy. She was such a phenomenal mother and grandmother. A brilliant, independent and strong woman that she modeled for all of her children and grandchildren. It was and still is one of their greatest blessings. She was so incredibly wise. She always knew what to say to make everything right again. Whether it was their biggest failure or greatest triumph, she was the first person her children would call. She was the rock and heart of her family. Right to her day of passing, she could pull her family all back together, from wherever their lives had taken them. She firmly believed that if you really wanted something in life, you could make it happen, and she would be your biggest cheerleader. With her unconditional love, encouragement and enthusiasm she would make not only family, but friends too, believe they could achieve their dreams, and with her behind them, they did. With her ingenuity and persistence through the hardest of times, she was key in building such an exceptional life with her husband and for her children.
Grace had so many amazing skills and traits, and she shared them with her family and friends in any way she thought would help them to better their lives. One of those traits was that Grace was such a hard worker. Whatever needed to be done whether on the farm, with the animals, in the house or in the community, she was right there doing her share and more. She taught her children that when there was work to be done, everybody needed to help, to never ask someone to do what you wouldn't do yourself and to feel the power and joy that comes with a team accomplishing the goal. She would spend hours outside working on the farm; driving the school bus; working at the post office; making meals fit for royalty; washing; cleaning and then before bed, sewing the most beautiful outfits just to make sure her children were dressed in the best. She would work endlessly and selflessly. In those early years, she rarely saw new clothes or fancy jewellery and would often state that she was just too full when there were not enough pieces of her fabulous pie. Grace worked hard because she cared so much about her family's happiness, even more than she than cared about her own. That's just who she was with anyone she cared about and there were so many!
Many found Grace to be such a loyal friend, counsellor and confidant. She had such a gift of knowing when someone was hurting or needed a helping hand. She would then go over for a "little visit" because she thought they might just need someone to talk with. Those talks mended countless broken hearts and helped so many to move on down a much healthier and happier life path. She was a firm believer that you should never push someone down when you could use the same hand to help pick someone up.
Grace knew how to laugh (especially laugh at herself) and to find fun in almost any situation. She taught her family to laugh too and admit when they had made a mistake. She would remind them to not take life so seriously. She would say," If no one got hurt, we're still ok." There were times when things would go very wrong. Upset or angry, Grace would be bursting with frustration, but suddenly she would find and say something funny about the situation. They could be just moments away from disaster, but her family would find themselves all laughing hysterically with her, and nodding when she'd say, "We must be losing it. Now we're just plain giddy." And somehow, after a good laugh, she would always figure out how to fix the problem.
Her little farmhouse was always filled with so much laughter, love, and, of course, food. Her greatest delight was to have people over for a meal and visit. Many friends and neighbours would drop in around mealtime and Grace would welcome them happily as she set more plates on the table. Everyone would rave about her meals and baking, but no one loved it more than her husband. As children grew up and left home, Grace and Stan still always ate their meals together at the kitchen table, discussing their day, their lives and their dreams. Theirs was a beautiful love story, and until Stan's passing two months ago, they lived their whole life as one. Reunited once again, their love story can now continue on for eternity. Grace will be so dearly missed by family and friends, but she will remain with us forever. Her many pearls of wisdom will continue to guide us throughout our lifetimes, as we pass them down, generation after generation.
A Service of Remembrance will be held at MCKILLOP UNITED CHURCH, 2329 - 15 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB, on Monday, April 22, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Terry Shillington officiating.
Grace will be laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Therese Villa via Covenant Foundation, c/o St. Michael's Health Centre, 1400-9th Ave. S, T1J 4V5. Thank-you.
