Obituary of Marianne Buck
We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Mother and Oma, Marianne Buck (nee Meyer) on Mother’s Day, May 14, 2023, at the age of 92 in North Bay, Ontario.
Marianne was born in 1931, in Glarus, Switzerland. The beauty of the natural environment that surrounded her home inspired a lifetime love of nature. Encouraged by her uncles, her childhood was spent hiking and backcountry skiing where she easily ascended the mountains and expertly skied down the powdered slopes to the alpine huts below. She became the ski champion of her Swiss Valley and loved to remark, “I always beat the boys down the mountain.”
Upon completion of Swiss vocational school in 1950 she traveled to London, England where she worked for the original editors of Good Housekeeping Magazine. Mentored by them, she honed her fine cooking skills, developed an eye for interior design, floral arrangement, and fashion. She loved recounting her fondest memories from this time including attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Shortly thereafter she moved to Paris where she met the love of her life, Diether. His request for directions to the Notre Dame Cathedral led to a walk, which led to a lunch, which led to blossoming love…and a missed plane. She took the courageous step and accepted his invitation to Canada where they married in North Bay in 1957.
They raised their family of four children surrounded by the pine forests and clear lakes of Temagami Ontario. She built a life in Canada with her strength and determination, buoyed by her optimism and sense of adventure.
She was a devoted wife and mother who taught her children that loving and caring for each other as well as treasuring family traditions were most important in life. She indulged her children’s interests, fostered their curiosity and enriched their lives through travel, particularly regular trips to Europe to connect with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Her creativity and tireless behind-the-scenes efforts made every occasion special, and she embraced friends and partners with warmth and generosity. She had a playful sense of humour that shone when she was with her grandchildren, whom she adored. She showed her love and appreciation to her friends and neighbours with her frequent drop-offs of freshly baked bread, cookies, and cakes.
In her later years, always appreciating the small things in life, Marianne loved heart rocks, chickadees, fresh-cut flowers, four-leaved clovers, chocolate, sunshine and gatherings of family and friends.
Marianne was predeceased by her husband Diether E. Buck (1992) and her parents Johann Meyer and Margaretha (nee Friedau) Meyer of Glarus, Switzerland.
She was a loving mother to her children: Christian (Linda), Peter (Seana), Heidi (Iain), and Erica (Roger); and a loving grandmother to ten grandchildren who adored her: Elise, Sarah, Jonathan, and Owen Buck, Lukas and Fiona Buck, Johanna and Ursula Kilbridge, Aidan, and Emma Rose Kehoe.
She is survived by her brother Hans Meyer (Myrtha) of Switzerland.
Marianne was loved and will be dearly missed by her extended family, nieces and nephews in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands and her many friends and neighbours in North Bay and Temagami.
We want to thank the nurses and health care providers on C3 at North Bay Regional Hospital for the loving and dignified care they provided to Marianne. We are also so grateful to Anita Valade, her personal caregiver, who was such a calm and loving presence in the last chapter of Marianne's life. Special thanks to Drs. Kathryn and Brian Shaw for providing such compassionate and excellent medical care.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Near North Palliative Care Annual Live Butterfly Release Fundraiser https://nnpcn.com/live-butterfly-release-a-celebration-of-life/
Please join us for a memorial service and celebration of her life to be held for Marianne at Churchills Restaurant, North Bay on August 7, 2023, from 2-5pm.
