Marjorie Scott will be remembered for her smile. Sometimes it is something simple which resonates with others. We have been hearing from many people that their endearing memory is our mother's smile. Whether it was her childhood friend, her cousin, children of her friends or our own friends, they all mentioned mom's wonderful smile. As one said: “She was such a special Lady, always with the brightest of smiles - I always felt blessed by her smile.” To her family, that smile was a reflection of the soul within.

Two days before Mom died, George and I sat beside her bed with a concordance and two editions of the Bible comparing passages. At one point, we commented that Mom must be chuckling with surprise at this unexpected conversation. We were searching for verses to describe her life's journey. You can see the result on the front of the bulletin: From Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;....If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

All of these words describe the mother we knew. She had an unflappable desire to help, to support, to encourage. From the earliest age, by example, her parents taught her to support others. She developed empathy, compassion and kindness; traits which were the cornerstone of her life of service for others. Throughout the years, as the short biography in the bulletin indicates, there was no shortage of family needing support. However, she also extended her circle by energetically supporting friends, neighbours and members of this congregation.

In 1978, I was the grateful recipient when she came every week day for three months to keep our house together as I struggled following the birth of our twin daughters. Mom did everything else so I could concentrate on being a mother. She stood back and let me feel my way into the role (which could also be described as “ she let me struggle”) rather than exerting her experience. In this manner, Mom gave me the chance to grow and in retrospect illustrated her patience and self-control. Even this January, as Mom was in the hospice at the General, I was chattering away about having to leave to do something and she stopped me short saying “Can I do something for you dear?”

These values were shared by Mom and Dad; they made a good team. Their happy years together were unfortunately cut short by Dad's early death but the happy memories gave her comfort and strength for the next 28 years.

Mom gave good advice and knew when to keep her own counsel. If was only after our son Dave had graduated from university that she admitted she had extracted a promise from him, when he was12, that he would stop climbing onto the sun room roof and into his second floor bedroom window if she agreed not to tell his parents she had caught him and that he had admitted doing it regularly.

Mom told me that as a young person she was very shy, was terrified of speaking in public and tried to stay in the background. However, she also asserted that it was activities in the church that allowed her to grow in her abilities and her faith. It started simply with the meetings of the W omen’s Missionary Society. Gradually, she took on responsibilities, such as Sunday School teacher, CGIT leader, Elder, Sunday School Superintendent, and Clerk of Session. Her own experience influenced her strong belief in the possibility of change through empowering girls and women. George says Mom was an early feminist who in her quiet determination influenced his views.

Although quiet, Mom was adventurous and would not let fear get in the way. Most of her life she had a fear of flying. She made her first flight on her 1946 honeymoon trip from Lethbridge to Vancouver, gaining courage by holding our Dad's hand across the aisle in a narrow propeller plane with just one seat on each side of the fuselage. When David and I moved her grandchildren to Ottawa, she took Gravol and willed herself through the flights. Little did she know that her grandchildren would tempt her around the world as they studied and worked abroad. She was 82 when she took her last long flight, travelling to Australia to visit Margot studying in Melbourne and see Eileen receive her masters in Brisbane.

Mom wanted to stay current in her clothes and outlook . Seeking to update her makeup she remarked it was useless to talk to me so she quietly sought tips from Hilary, her youngest granddaughter. While Mom read or listened to the news everyday, she got a practical education, helping with David's election campaigns but was not hesitant to share her views on policy.

With so much energy and vitality, even in her 70s, Mom was running up the stairs two at a time. As we were climbing through the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia in her 80th year, she suggested I take her picture at the gate to the courtyard of the main temple to show how far she was walking. We have many photos of her adventures on display downstairs which we hope will give you a flavour of Mom's 89 years.

Laura Kilgour is Marjorie’s daughter