Obituary of Donna Marquis

Donna passed away July 27th, 2011 after a lengthy struggle with Cancer. She was born January 11, 1939 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and moved at a young age with her family to the Village of Minto. She was the daughter of the late Roy and Georgina Hickey. She is survived by her brothers, Patrick (Linda), Murray, Gregory, many nephews, nieces, and cousins. She is pre-deceased by her parents, husband Kenneth Marquis, and sister in law Roma. Donna was a unique individual. Although not having children of her own, she was a teacher who touched the lives of many children the world over. Equipped with degrees in Education from the University of New Brunswick, she and her husband Kenneth ventured to Australia in the early Sixties to begin a life long adventure in educational work and travel. From all accounts, Donna ventured from Austria to Katmandu, Algiers to Peru, and from a glimpse at her passports, all places in between. The Asian countries, China, India etc… were frequent destinations. As a young woman in the Seventies, she took part in a camping expedition up the length of Africa. It was a trip she spoke of often and it obviously had a great impact on her life. Longer term teaching positions, that we know of, were in the Northwest Territories, Chatham, New Brunswick, Montreal, Australia, Thailand, Romania, Argentina and Central America. While sifting through boxes that documented her life, it is immediately apparent to her family that Donna and her husband Ken had a profound impact on many young lives in the numerous places they chose to teach. Correspondence and expressions of gratitude are found in many letters that track their teaching and travels. In later years, the couple moved to Fredericton to look after Donna’s mother, and stayed after her passing. In this period Donna developed a keen interest in Computer Science and became a regular sight at Head Hall well into her late sixties, managing to gain proficiency with a variety of graphics programming languages. She was a tireless researcher, and also managed to develop a personal sketch and painting portfolio. She was an intelligent woman who dabbled in a wide range of pursuits. Hospitalized at the Chalmers Hospital for the past year, the family would like to take this opportunity to thank the various Doctor’s, Nurses and patient care staff that helped Donna during this time. There will be no formal service or viewing at Donna’s request. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com