ELEANOR “MARIAN” HAWORTH

Our beloved mother, Granny, and Great Granny, Eleanor “Marian” Haworth, née Bowser, after suffering a stroke, passed away on 23 February 2024 at the grand age of 97.

Marian was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire to Howard Francis and Jessie Bowser on February 27, 1926. The eldest of three, she lived a charmed childhood in the family suburban setting outside London, surrounded by her loving family, schooled at Sherborne School for Girls, and pursued her passion for riding horses.

Growing up comfortably despite the Depression, Marian came of age in the Second World War. At 18, she joined the Women’s Royal Navy and was soon posted to Bletchley Park, where unbeknownst to her she was working with many others on the Enigma Code that was so crucial in the victory for the Allies. Following the war, Marian studied Domestic Sciences at Atholl Crescent and then went on to train as an Occupational Therapist.

In the summer of 1949, her family vacationed and encountered the Haworth family, and thus began her romance with Dr. James Haworth, elder son of the eminent chemist Sir W.N. Haworth and Lady Violet Haworth. Marian and Jim married in October 1951 and commenced their young adult family lives in Liverpool and then Sheffield where their elder two children, Elizabeth and Peter, were born.

After Jim was recruited by the Winnipeg Clinic, the family moved to Manitoba; Marian arriving with the small children in the dead of winter in March 1957. They lived on Oxford Street, in River Heights, and the family grew with the births of Margaret and Anne. There they enjoyed the lives of young professionals with a busy social life and vacations at cottages and trips to see family back in the United Kingdom.

In 1967 they moved into a house they built in St. Vital, on an inside bend of the now tamed Red River. They tended to the house and gardens, hosted visitors from around the world, and oversaw the lives of their children who one by one moved away from home. Here they lived for almost 50 years.

Marian volunteered for many charities over the years, including the Manitoba Museum and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Of a deep religious nature, she was a treasured presence and volunteer at St. Mary Magdalene Church. She spent her life studying with her strong faith in the spiritual realm. 

Retirement meant Marian and Jim could travel the world seeing its sights and cultures. As they grew older, they enjoyed ocean cruises where they could more easily rest and relax.

In time, Marian welcomed her 14 grandchildren, and she loved to be surrounded and enchanted by the children’s lives. Later still, she saw her great-grandchildren arrive, and even though she might no longer follow the chatter, she enjoyed having them gathered around.

After giving up their house in 2013, Marian and Jim moved to the Canoe Club Retirement Home. Jim passed away in 2014 at the age of 91, leaving Marian alone. However, with her family nearby, she enjoyed her quiet solitude, becoming a Scrabble fiend, challenging family members many times a week. .

Marian was a kind and gentle soul, with a hearty sense of humour, who graced us with her straightforward love and charm. She welcomed everyone, and had many lifelong friendships. Friends and family adored her. She lived a moral life without drawing attention to herself, and was always ready to forgive and not judge. She lived to see these traits blossom in her grandchildren.

Marian is survived by her children Elizabeth (Julian), Peter (Julie), Margaret (Brian) and Anne (Troy),  grandchildren Rachael, Avril, Imogen, Emily, Fiona, Spencer, Dashiel, Gwenyth, Charles, Nicole, Ashley, Taylor, Marianne and Véronica, and great-grandchildren Reiley, Finn, Luxton, Saoirse, Winifred, Avidaan, Marcus, Desmond, and Aspen. 

The family of E. Marian Haworth would like to invite friends and loved ones to a celebration of the life of Marian at 11am, 4 May at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 3 St. Vital Road, Winnipeg.

There will be a reception following at 12:15pm at the Canoe Club Senior Living, 40 Dunkirk Drive.

Please feel free to bring a photo or something that reminds you of Marian for our Memory Table. 

Please donate to Siloam Mission in lieu of flowers.

Marian’s family kindly requests that all of her friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour her memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories, using the comment section on this page.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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