Margo Mercier (Umanetz)

Family Service for Margo Mercier officiated by Lisa Cowling

Welcome

Welcome everyone and thank you for coming today to help us honour and celebrate the life of my mother, and your dear one, Margo Mercier. I will open in prayer.

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father, we commit this time of dedication to You and ask that You would come and bless us with Your Presence. Help us in our weakness, in our grief and in the mystery of things eternal to honour your beloved daughter, Margo who has moved on from this world. Help us in a time when words seem so insignificant to encourage the hearts of those left behind with hope for the future. In a service that could have death as it's theme, come Holy Spirit, breathe Your life into our hearts and make this service a celebration of life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Margo's Life

Margaret Mary was born in Hammersmith, England to Rosemary and Bill Weston. Or so we think. There are many mysteries about my Mom that we still have yet to uncover. For years she believed she was born in Marseilles, France where her Mom was born. When we applied a few years ago for her passport we found out that she was actually born in England.

We know that as a baby she traveled with her stepdad Bill Weston who was in the British Imperial Army and he spent time stationed in Rawalpindi, India (now Pakistan). This is where my Mom's sister, Mae was born. A few years later when my Mom was 3 years old they made their way to Canada.

Mom went to school in Galt, Ontario as a young girl but just recently told us that she had also attended St. John's elementary school here in Hamilton. Amazingly it was the same school my sister, Kathleen attended and we had never connected those dots before.

My Mom had a lonely & difficult childhood and although she had suffered much would speak only praise of those who raised her.

Different circumstances would trigger memories for my Mom and then another story would be told of her early years.

When I accepted a job at Dofasco as an overhead crane operator we would hear of how, as a teenager she worked there as well in the same job but in the chip shop. She had her eye on Joe Umanetz and purposefully dropped chalk from the crane on his head to get his attention. I guess it worked because they were married soon after.

I've heard stories of their struggle as a young family. They lived for a time with Dad's parents and then they stepped out and bought their first house on Beach Road. Mom recalls how horrible it was, even once having to chase away a rat from baby Joe's crib.

Always one to love people Margo enjoyed running their own store, the Busy Bee variety, even while raising children. (This was before my time.)

Margo was a 'hockey Mom' before there was such a term … driving Joe and Marty to the rink for games and cheering them on when Dad was working.

Mom worked for years at the Glassworks. Another story would come out every time we drove up Gage Ave. towards Barton St. and crossed the tracks. We would hear how grateful she was to Polly Masinovich (sp?) for saving her life one day by tumbling her to the ground when a train was coming that she hadn't seen. Thanks Polly! I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you!!!

Margo helped to provide family vacations at Len Dave Lodge in Bala by taking the phone reservations for them. In turn, the family spent a week each summer enjoying fishing and swimming on the island. (again, before my time… sigh!)

Later Mom attained her hairdressing license and worked for years at Macassa Lodge. She cared deeply for those she served there and was happy to help them be beautiful!

She was an energetic woman who could run circles around people half her age. She aged well and would often be recognized even in her seniors year by people who had not seen her since grade school! She loved people and thrived in community settings like at Alligator Park in Florida, at the local gym where she attended four times a week or more recently at the SAM program on Wednesdays. She always wanted to see what was going on so could never sleep in the car while traveling and hated private hospital rooms. She loved to dance, sing and in my opinion, the gift of encouragement was her greatest attribute. When I was hurt or upset with my brothers or sister she would not let me speak badly about them.

As the youngest member of the family my experience growing up was very different than my siblings because I was the only child at home for many years.

As many mothers and daughters experience there was no one who could make me angrier nor was there anyone I was closer to than my Mom.

My Dad died when I was 8 and we had many tough years struggling to find our way together. My Mom remarried when I was 12 to my Pa, my stepdad, Raoul and he became a wonderful part of our lives. Raoul's sister Marilyn and her husband Vince quickly became Mom's best friends (they even accompanied them on their honeymoon!) and even since his passing 6 years ago they have remained very close and committed to one another.

My Pa taught us how to communicate with one another. We learned to talk things out. My Mom would say after “we might get angry with each other but we always work it through”. It was true.

Through our years at the Eventide Truck Stop in Kirkland Lake we worked very hard together. My Mom worked steady days, cleaning the motels in the morning with me helping, and then she would cook all day in the restaurant. My Dad worked steady nights and I shared both shifts.

One day we had some very large bikers come into the restaurant. Wanting an ice cream and thinking he was to help himself one of them came behind the counter to open the freezer. I still have a vision on Mom in my mind reaching high up to poke her finger in his chest saying “this is my kitchen and I will serve you. Now go sit down!”

We used to leave each other notes during those truck stop years as we'd wake up or go to bed just to encourage one another and wish each other a wonderful day.

Going through some of Mom's things this week as I looked for photographs I found some of those notes. They were precious to Mom and she kept them hidden away in a special place, in boxes and tins, but also in a special place in her heart.

Also in those places I found every article ever written by or about her son, Joe and his solar home that he had built. I found letters from her daughter, Kathleen through the years and her typed testimony tucked away in the “special papers” envelope. I found what must be every program from every play her son, Marty has ever written, performed in or directed. She kept a copy of all my flyers and brochures for all the projects I've initiated through the years. And if you, at some point sent her a card or a letter, I would venture to say that it's there in that place as well.

Margo treasured her family and friends and made a special place for people in her heart.

It was almost six years ago when we had a family meeting at the hospital for the Dr. to tell us that Mom's heart would not last the year. And in those six years we've come to call Mom the Eveready Bunny as she would bounce back time and again after illnesses.

During those years of sleeping so much and feeling sick she would often say “I feel useless but I know God isn't ready for me yet'. I would remind her of how indeed God was still using her to be a blessing in these days that seemed unproductive. She has always been an encourager. For a couple years she wrote a letter every week or so to a woman in Mississippi that she had never met. Bonnie's health struggles with leg amputations reminded her of her sister, Mae and the difficulties she had had and she wanted to encourage her even as she had encouraged her sister.

Our relationship with Margo

Even as Margo made special places in her heart for us and we felt her love and encouragement, you are here today because at some point you made a special place in your heart for her.

We are here today to celebrate her life and we are too to grieve her loss. Although we will have private quiet times of working through our grief by ourselves we are here today to meet in a special place of sharing our joy and our sorrow together.

St. Paul encourages us in his letter to the Romans “to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep.”

We give each other a gift by 'meeting in that place together' and sharing some special memories ….

Micah “Jesus Love's Me”

The day before Mom passed her grandson, Micah played the guitar and Mom sang along with myself and her granddaughter, Ariana as we sang Mom's favorite childhood song “Jesus Loves Me”. Micah is going to come now and sing that for us and we invite you to share in this beautiful memory with us and sing along.

Indeed Jesus has made a special place in His heart for Margo and she did for Him as well. And He has made a special place for her in heaven. In the Gospel of John 14:2 Jesus says, “In my Father's house are many mansions … I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

Jesus went to a place of suffering, the place of the cross for us so that we can be washed clean of our sins and have eternal life as children of God.

After Jesus was crucified and buried the ladies went to the place of His burial and found that the tomb was empty. He is not here, He is risen!

As I held my Mom as she passed over to the place of eternity into the arms of her Saviour Jesus, her body, her earthly tent, the place that had held her life was now empty … she is not here, she has risen with her Saviour to dwell with Him in the heavenly place He has prepared for her.

As Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven, may we ourselves prepare a place in our hearts for Him. A place where we receive His love, His forgiveness, His mercy and grace for this life journey and for our eternal lives in heaven.

Kathleen Shares

Kathleen will come now and share with you the special place Mom held in her heart.

God determines our times and places. The day before my mother passed on into glory, my son Jonathan came to take me back to Kingston. Along the way, I saw 3 different rainbows, which spoke to me of the Trinity and the promises of God, and all the many ways that the Lord had been with my mom, and His faithfulness to her over the years. I had the privilege of spending the last two years of her life with her - and I know it pleased her very much to have me there. I know that I was loved by mom and her love still lives in my heart. I am remembering how she would encourage me when I came home at night, aching and tired, and she loved to see me smile!

She is now in the arms of Jesus, basking in the fullness of His love - this is an awesome thought, and the hope of my heart, will be to rejoice with her throughout eternity with the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory!

Joe “Lulu's Back in Town”

This family is one that always gets together for Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving and when we could, for birthday celebrations. Mom loved family times and her favourite part of those times was when the guitars would come out and Joe and Marty would play and we'd sing along.

I'd like to invite Joe to come to share and to sing one of Mom's favorite “Joe songs” as only he could sing.

Marty “The Farmer's Song”

Many years ago Marty wrote songs and recorded his songs on tape and Mom played the tape until it didn't work any longer. But one of Mom's most requested songs was the one Marty is about to do for you. It's an old Murray McLaughlin song and if you know it we invite you to sing along as we join in the spirit of Margo's joy.

Closing Prayer

Whenever I prayed with Mom she would always keep her eyes open because “we're talking to Jesus and I want to look at Him” and she would respond at the end with “good prayer”.

I will now close our time in prayer:

Lord God, in honesty we will miss Margo but we are happy that You gave her to us for the time that You did. At times in our grief it will feel like a 'remote and lonely place', yet even in St. John's account You took the five loaves and two small fish of a young lad in a remote place and fed 5,000. We trust that you will meet us in the sad places, in the places of missing the times spent with Margo and multiply the little we can offer You: our memories, our joys, even our regrets and unforgiveness. We receive You as the loving Redeemer God that You are in our lives. We believe that You will take what we offer You and multiply it into something beautiful; that You will turn our mourning into gladness once again. We release Margo to Your everlasting arms to hold her and care for her and enjoy her as we have enjoyed her. Help us on this road ahead to find You in life without her. In Jesus' Name.

And if you agree with this prayer please answer as Margo would “Good prayer”.

Thank You

Our dedication to Mom has been a little unorthodox in manner and schedule but we hope it has been a blessing to you.

We will be continuing with visitation tomorrow morning here from 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. followed by a mass at Incarnation Parish at 11 a.m. with lunch to follow.

We thank you for allowing us as a family to share our special memories with you today. We would love to hear your stories and memories you have as well. Connect with us directly or you can also visit the website set up through the funeral home and add a tribute.

Thank you.