With heavy hearts we bid farewell to a very special mother, wife, sister and dear friend… Marsha Lee Hurshman.
Marsha left us peacefully, courageously and on her own terms, leaving behind a lifetime of wonderful memories, achievements and the profound richness of her beautiful soul. The warmth of her spirit and the depth of her character has left not only an indelible mark on all of our hearts, but as well a lasting impact on so many. Marsha was known for her kindness, humility, boundless love and of course her beautiful smile which could light up a room and make everyone’s day just a little brighter.
Marsha had a wonderful full life despite her long battle with cancer. Things were not always perfect and there were many bumps along the way. However, she handled her challenges with grace, strength and always a little humour, just to make things easier on all of us. That was Marsha, always putting others ahead of herself.
Marsha was born in 1955, to wonderful parents Alice and Benson Auld, from whom she inherited the best of qualities from each… Alice’s sweetness, empathy and humility, and Benson’s twinkle, smile and humour. She married her high school sweetheart Gary, and together they raised what would be her two greatest achievements, her two beautiful children Anna and Nick. She adored and was so proud of them both. They are comforted knowing that she will always be their special angel watching over them as they move forward and create their own lives.
The simplest pleasures brought Marsha the greatest joy. Walking with her neighbours, a round of golf, happy hour at “Ma’s bar” on Friday afternoons, skiing with her downhill buddies, listening to good music, executing a perfect stride jump off the wharf, and travelling with friends and family. She loved her trips to Paris and London, to Thailand with “the girls”, “barging and biking” the Danube, walking the Camino and hiking in Arizona. She had a few more wonderful trips planned but unfortunately they were not meant to be.
She loved her time with her brother and sisters, their trips to Florida, golf trips to PEI, and time all together with her nieces and nephews who adored her to no end, and affectionately called her their “Meesh”!
Her happy place was the family cottage where she enjoyed working alone in the garden, often complaining afterwards that she was the only one that did any work to the property!
Marsha’s church and her faith were very important to her, and she served for a period of time as a deacon, which made her mother very proud, although Alice never felt she was quite “deacon material”.
She also loved her Nursing profession, always offering exceptional care, comfort, and her beautiful warmth to all of her patients. So many have reached out to her these past couple of months to offer their love and support, which she appreciated so much.
Despite getting more weary as her disease progressed, and dealing with tests, scans, blood work and appointments, she still never stopped and lived everyday to the fullest. Even when her health took a definite turn, she organized her friends to step up to the plate – her Carpe Diem Run For the Cure Team was one of the top overall fundraisers, raising over $24,000 towards Breast Cancer Research in less than two weeks.
Without a doubt heaven has welcomed an Angel.
Marsha is, and will always be our hero, and through her we will continue to honour her legacy by living our lives to the fullest with gratitude and kindness.
Thank you Marsha for bringing so much love, joy, happiness and fun to all of our lives. We love you and will miss you every single day.
Marsha is survived by her husband Gary, her children Nick and Anna, sisters Sherry Kane (Bob), Pam Auld (David Hebb), brother Greg Auld (Susie White) and her nieces and nephews Allison, Benson, Laura, Geoffrey, Scott, sister-in-law Linda (Hurshman) and mother-in-law Inez Hurshman.
The family would like to extend special thanks to her Oncologist Dr. Danny Rayson who has travelled with her on this journey, Dr. Rebecca DeCoste, all of the incredible staff at Halifax Hospice for their gentle and attentive care, and her two favourite pharmacists Allison and Christine.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honour Marsha’s memory may do so through a donation to Hospice Halifax (https://hospicehalifax.ca/ways-to-give/donate/), or a charity of your choice.
To leave words of condolences for the family please visit www.tjtracey.com.