Obituary of Marion Beck

Marion passed away on Monday, June 1, 2020. She is survived by Les her beloved husband of 64 years; her sons David, Stephen, Martin and Geoffrey; granddaughters Monet, Maegan and Jorah; great-grandchildren Adira and Darius Nahnybida and James Beck. Marion was born in Rossendale, Lancashire, England in 1931 to Frederick Bruce and Madge Teal (nee Levell). She was predeceased by her only sibling Peter in 2015. Marion attended Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Leeds University where she got an Honours degree in Geography and a Graduate Certificate in Education. While in Leeds she met her future husband, geologist Leslie Scott Beck. After teaching in Gateshead and Alwoodley, Doncaster she emigrated to Canada and Regina in 1958 to join Les, by now employed by the Saskatchewan Department of Mineral Resources. In 1960 she moved to Uranium City where Les was now resident geologist and where the family grew to six. The family moved back to England in 1964 for educational reasons and Marion started to seek help for her second son who had been diagnosed autistic. For the next twenty years she was heavily involved in lobbying for autistic children, becoming a founder member and president of both the Regina Society for Autistic children and the Canadian Society for Autistic Children chairing the latter’s second national conference. Marion was also heavily involved in the National Council of Women of Canada at local, provincial and national levels serving as President of the Regina Council 1984-85. She represented Local Council on the City of Regina Arts Commission and the Provincial Council on the University of Regina Senate. A long-time member of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild Marion worked briefly as its executive assistant (1980-81). She was a member and president of the Wascana Writers Group, poetry editor for a number of years for Green’s Magazine, a member of the Canadian Poetry Association and an associate member of the League of Canadian Poets. Writing both non-fiction articles and reviews she is perhaps best known for her poetry which is available in chapbook form and for a self-published book on autistic children and their families, The Exorcism of An Albatross. Her poetry chapbook ‘Poems for Amazons’ opened the exhibition by breast cancer survivors ‘Survivors in Search of a Voice’ at the Norman Mackenzie Gallery in 1996. A water colorist, gardener and nature of lover Marion asks that any donations in remembrance go to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 2230A 6th Avenue, Regina, SK S4P 0S1 or to the Seniors University Group at the Life Long Learning Centre of which she was a member or to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK S4P 2R3. A Celebration of Marion's Life will be held at the Speers Family Centre, 2333 Cornwall Street, Regina, SK, on Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.