Marceline Maude Cullis

Marceline (Marcie) Cullis, died in the early morning under the light of a full harvest moon. She was 92 years old. A magnificent spirit, Marcie had a great zest for life and continues to be a source of joy and gratitude for the family and friends she leaves behind. Marcie was deeply kind and compassionate, honest and insightful, curious and full of humour. Her big smile was legendary.

Born in Bath, New Brunswick in 1933, to a francophone father and a mother of Irish descent, Marcie spent some of the happiest years of her life with her older brother and her parents on a farm on the East Coast. She always had a great passion for animals and cherished the natural world. That time on the farm ended when her father joined the army during World War 2 and was injured. As a result of his injuries, her father was in and out of the hospital for years, and Marcie grew very close to her grandfather, who moved in to help care for the children. Her grandfather was a miner who had a gruff exterior, but he adored his granddaughter, Marcie, and took her out for a banana split every Friday after school. She never forgot it and often spoke of him.

In her late teens, Marcie’s father was well enough to find work as a barber in Sudbury. Packing all their belongings into one car, they moved. Marcie grieved when she saw the bleak, denuded landscape of her new home but she kept looking for joy and connection and started attending the Young People’s meetings at the local United Church. There, she met Trevor Cullis, whose late father had been the minister of the church. They met in September when Marcie was nineteen and Trevor was twenty-one. By June they were married, and they remained together until he died on her 76th birthday, of complications of Parkinson's.

In the late 1950s they moved to Scarborough, where Trevor had a job as a public school teacher, and later as an elementary school principal. Eventually, Marcie found work as an Order Desk Supervisor in book publishing and later at Yamaha Music. After she retired, she began a second career as president of the local riding of the Conservative Party, where her capacity to deal firmly and fairly with people to reduce conflict and get things done was renowned.

Marcie delighted in children and celebrated their spirits. She leaves behind three daughters: Marcie Catherine (Alex), Rose (David), Cheryl (Ron); nine grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren. In her later years, she often laughed in recounting her great grandchildren’s antics. She admired their pride and determination.

Aside from her family, Marcie was a loyal and passionate friend, who always sought to see the best in people. She was life long-friends with the neighbors who lived right next door, and they were often at her side in these last few months. Marcie loved her friends very much, and their presence meant a lot to her.

In Marcie, we found a person of great joy and humour and deep gentleness and understanding. It’s a startling and compelling combination. We’ll all miss her terribly but will celebrate her memory by living her example. The world is a sweeter place because she was in it.

Visitation will take place at Jerrett Funeral Homes, 660 Kennedy Road, Toronto, ON, M1K2B5, CA, on October 9, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

A Funeral Service will be held at Jerrett Funeral Homes, 660 Kennedy Road, Toronto, ON, M1K2B5, CA, on October 10, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm.