ARTUS – On September 30, 2021 Marion Pansy Artus peacefully passed away in her sleep at Sunrise Gardens in Brooks, Alberta. She is survived by her three sons: Shawn Artus of Victoria, Mitch Artus and his wife Maryanne, granddaughter Jacqueline and grandson Ryan all of Perth, Australia and Patrick (Rick) Artus and fiancé Linda of Calgary. She was predeceased by Michael, her husband of 52 years in March of 2007 and 3 bothers and one sister.
Marion Pansy Artus was born on February 20, 1934 in a small farmhouse in what is now Forest Lawn, Calgary. Marion was born premature, weighing only 4 pounds and was delivered by the neighboring midwife. Marion spent the first weeks of her life nestled in shoebox in the warming oven. She proved to be a fighter and against all odds survived and thrived in her long and active life. Devoted to her family, Marion was the foundation of her family, working tirelessly to support their schooling, sports, and careers, while working full time. There is a special place in Heaven for a mother of three boys. Marion went to Henderson College and then worked at Home Oil and later at the St. Francis High School in Calgary for almost 20 years. She knew almost all 1,200 students by named and to this day she is fondly remembered by many past students. She was an exceptional wife, mother, sister, spousal curling supporter, hockey mom, social planner, grandmother and friend. She was an amazing cook and baker extraordinaire. Her dinners for family and friends were hearty and delightful, her pies, homemade jams and relishes were delicious and always blue ribbon winners. Her home was the home base for all the neighborhood kids and the door was always open, the food abundant and the welcome genuine. There was always a family dog and Marion was the most-loved by a wide margin by the family pet. Marion and Mike retired in 1989, became snowbirds, dividing their time between Yuma, Arizona and Lake Newell in Brooks, Alberta. They had great friends on both sides of the border and enjoyed an enviable retirement. Marion was the social planner and entertainment director in Yuma and she was equally busy in the summer at Lake Newell with a great social network of friend and families. In 1994 Marion donated a kidney to her sister Irene and did so gladly and without hesitation. She loved watching sports and was a huge tennis fan and avid follower of curling, golf, baseball and the Olympics. Marion made a difference in the lives of everyone she knew and her passing is a great loss to one and all. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Retina Foundation of Canada in support of macular degeneration at www.retinacanada.com. We wish to thank the staff at Sunrise Gardens for all their support and kindness during this difficult time. A celebration of life for Marion will be held later due to the pandemic. Friends wishing to reach out to the family can do so at artus0239@me.com. For further information please visit www.thomsfuneralhome.com or call (403) 501-1010.
