Marian Eileen Fellows

With great sadness, we announce the passing of Marian Eileen Fellows (née Shaw) of Brampton (Bramalea), Ontario, on Sunday, May 11, 2025. Marian was admitted to Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Wednesday, May 7, after being diagnosed that same day with a life-threatening illness (leukemia). She passed peacefully, without pain, and in the company of family.

Marian was widowed in 1997 with the passing of her beloved husband of 37 years, Maurice Sydney Fellows. They were the great loves of each other’s lives and embarked on an epic adventure when they emigrated from England to Toronto in 1967.

She is survived by her two sons, Ian Fellows (Susan Adlam) and Steve Fellows (Charlene Pires), and by her seven grandchildren: Mya, Maria, and Marcus (children of Steve and Charlene), and Oscar, Nicola, Miranda, and Brinley (children of Ian and Susan). She is also survived by her sister, Gillian Hill (Brian); brother-in-law, Donald Fellows; cousin and bridesmaid, Lois Hopkins (John); and Vanessa Higgins, a dear family friend who was one of their own.

In addition to her husband Maurice, Marian was predeceased by her father, Augustus Albert Shaw; her mother, Bettina Lucy Shaw (née Green); her brother, John R. Shaw (Pamela Edmonds); her mother-in-law, Evelyn Fellows (née Richardson); her father-in-law, Arthur Fellows; and her brother-in-law, Douglas Fellows (Patricia Davies).

Marian devoted her life to raising and caring for children—her own and those whose parents entrusted them to her warm and loving care. She delighted in many creative pursuits over the years, including breadmaking, macramé, and knitting. Marian loved animals and always supported her children’s wishes for pets, welcoming cats, dogs, rabbits, fish, and guinea pigs into the home. In later years her constant companion was her cat, Marigold.

Though of modest means herself, Marian was deeply generous. She gave regularly to many organizations and causes, including decades of sponsorship for foster children overseas. She was the embodiment of the Christian value of charity.

Marian met Maurice met through local Church activities in and about Small Heath, Birmingham. In the early 1980s, they returned to their Methodist roots and were among the founding members of the Bramalea Free Methodist Church. Both were active in the campaign to see a permanent church building constructed.

Marian will be cremated and interred with Maurice. A memorial service will be held in the latter half of June to allow all of her grandchildren to be present. Further details will be announced shortly. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, charitable contributions be made to Save the Children.