Marjorie Pratt

March 31, 2025

Remembering Marjorie Phyllis Pratt (Medland)

October 18, 1936 – March 31, 2025

Remembering Marjorie Phyllis Pratt (Medland)

October 18, 1936 – March 31, 2025

‘I was born and raised on a 200-acre farm’ she liked to say to all who would listen ‘and there were no boys in the family’ . . . which guaranteed a life of unrelenting work.  There were two younger sisters—Doreen (Mrs. Herb Marshall) and Patricia (adopted out in infancy to her aunt Ivy and now deceased).  Mother Verna died shortly after Patricia was born and her sister Freda stayed on with father Cyril for life as surrogate mother.  That farm was in the heart of Dufferin County, known as Ontario’s snowbelt for its storm-lashed winters.  She grew up facing daily long treks to school over impossibly drifted roads, returning home to a barnful of cows bawling to be milked; to slopping a penful of pigs and barrowing their wet, odiferous waste out to the manure pile.  In the temperate months, she was confronted with long ploughed fields needing to be planted with potatoes, later to be hoed and hilled, yet later to be dug up and harvested.  She was no stranger to long days of draining, tedious work where the word ‘fun’ was never part of Cyril’s lexicon. Marjorie’s formative years were largely an ordeal that could not be enjoyed, only endured.   It has always been a marvel how Cyril’s kindly relatives in Oakville perceived her plight and were able to snatch her away from the farm, whence they sponsored her immediately into Pitman Business School.  ‘They bought a milking machine only after I was gone’ she would ruefully say.

So, it was that October, 1957 found her working as administrative assistant in Oakville Hospital whence a young sailor in the RCN named George Pratt encountered her during a weekend leave from radio school. George was immediately smitten by her agreeable demeanor and lithe good looks and a proposal promptly followed.  It was agreed that the wedding would occur in a small hamlet just below the Arctic Circle named Fort Churchill where George would be posted upon graduation from radio school.  It all unfolded as planned.  The wedding was February 17, 1958 and daughter Victoria came along in November of that year, just a little too soon for comfort. Son Jeff (Margot) and daughter Nancy (Steve Goodman) followed in due course as we bounced around Canada on both naval and civilian postings.  From them, eventually issued grandchildren Stuart, Sam, Jake, Angela and great-granddaughter Sage, all with whom she developed special, strong and loving relationships. 

During our Ft. Churchill tenure George was, at 19, too young to qualify for naval married allowance.  Something had to be done to put even scant food on the table.  A job was posted by a local Hudson’s Bay outpost seeking a cook for post staff.  Marjorie took the job.  The staff were largely Ukrainian immigrant women who perceived immediately that Marjorie had an understanding of basic food i.e., meat and potatoes.  In very short order they critically but helpfully taught her the finer points of cabbage rolls and perogies.  During this time another person was present i.e., notable Canadian author Farley Mowat who was then researching his book ‘People of the Deer’. Along with him was a vivacious adolescent Eskimo girl named Kunee who was featured prominently in the book. Very quickly Mowat and Kunee discovered Marjorie’s love of kibbitzing.  Marjorie became skilled at preparing Ukrainian country food and, along with a lot of lighthearted banter, her mealtimes were met with much pleasure.

Over the years Marjorie’s interest in the foods of other nations never waned. She variously became proficient in Chinese traditional cooking and Greek cuisine, as anyone who has ever sampled her lamb shanks with barley casserole will attest.  It should be said that she never forgot her days of what she would like to call ‘payday meals’ i.e., fried sausages and creamed corn. 

She acquired a taste for convivial gatherings of friends, sometimes in lobby bars where she would smugly startle the server by ordering ‘gin straight up with a twist’.  Similarly, her home guests were offered the same.  It was never overdone; always those gathered could expect much lighthearted banter, good food and drink. 

As life waned for her, she ultimately took up residence at Little Mountain Place, a care home where she became very comfortable and much contented.  Her family witnessed the decline of her faculties with equanimity, grateful to the remarkable care team who kept her in much comfort.  Marjorie slept away the end of her earthly journey overnight March 31, 2025. 

Marjorie, by now you will have stood before your Great Maker to account for your life.  It cannot have gone any way but well. Goodbye Marjorie. We love you.

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