Obituary of Marsha Gale Burch

April 10, 1958 to April 19, 2025

MARSHA GALE BURCH It is with broken hearts that the family announces the passing of our cherished mother, grandmother, sister, partner, auntie, great-auntie, cousin and friend.  Marsha passed away on Saturday, April 19, 2025 at the age of 67 years old after a brief battle with cancer.

Marsha will be lovingly remembered by her son Doug (Julie) and grandchildren Brynn, Vanna and Max, sister Michelle (Norman) and their children Christa (Jim), Jason (Charmaine), and Eric, brother Mitchell (Linda) and their children Jennifer, Valerie (Christopher), Sabrina (Toni), and Christopher (Jennifer), brother Wayne, brother Glen and his daughters Amanda (Cory) and Samantha, brother-in-law Wayne (Kristine) and his children Jeremy, Daniel and Amber, sister-in-law Sharon (Rod) and her children Elizabeth (Mike) and Crystal (Brent), and her longtime “honey” Gord and his children Sheldon, Trevor and Natasha.  Marsha will also be fondly remembered by her aunts and uncles, great nieces and nephews, great-great niece and nephew, many cousins, friends and neighbors.  She also leaves behind her “poopsie” - Jayzee the Dachshund.

Marsha was predeceased by her husband of 32 years Paul Burch, mother Alice “Elsie” Boreski, father Harold Boreski, mother-in-law Rosemarie Burch, father-in-law Harry Burch, and her special “doggies” Teddy, Romy and DJ.

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Marsha grew up as the middle child in a large, loving family.  After the family relocated to Winnipeg in 1967 she graduated from St. John’s High School in 1976.  Marsha went on to marry her high school sweetheart Paul in 1980.  Together they built their family home in 1981 and welcomed their son Doug in June of 1984.  Their tight-knit family of three shared countless fun adventures, trips, holiday gatherings, and decades of quality time together.  2012 was a bittersweet year which included the loss of Paul, as well as Marsha retiring and becoming a grandma for the very first time.  She was fortunate to find love again with Gord in 2015 and they spent the following 10 years together on many adventures, and enlightening each other about country life in Bruxelles, city life in Winnipeg, and cabin life in Belair, Manitoba – “chop-chopping” in the kitchen together in each of these special places.

She led her life with calmness, kindness and love.  Family meant everything to Marsha - she was a wonderful mother, a doting grandmother, a loving sister and an extraordinary partner.  She was always there, offering thoughtful support, wisdom, and love to no end. Marsha was the absolute best mom, mother-in-law and grandma, and was so proud of her son Doug and his wife Julie, and her grandchildren Brynn, Vanna and Max.  The holidays, birthdays, school Christmas concerts, trick-or-treating on Halloween, and dance recitals will not be the same without Grandma there by our sides.   

Marsha shared a special bond with each one of her four siblings and could always be counted on for help with projects, a fun night out, a weekend at the cabin, jetting-off on a trip together, or a long phone call to catch-up about the happenings in each other’s lives.  She was truly one-of-a-kind and a blessing to our families and everyone’s lives that she touched. 

Marsha loved spending time outdoors, whether it be in her treasured gazebo, tending to the flowers and vegetable garden at home, on camping trips with friends and family, learning about the farm lifestyle over the past 10 years with Gord, hunting for treasures at garage sales, or relaxing at her beloved cabin.

With a love of music – especially the oldies – dancing came naturally to Marsha who would often be seen showing off her moves at concerts, weddings or on one of her many adventurous vacations.  Countless fun memories were made on trips starting at a young age, including a childhood family trip to Expo ’67 in Montreal, and later getaways to Saskatchewan to visit family, Ontario, Quebec, Disney World, New Orleans, North Dakota, South Dakota, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Las Vegas, numerous cruise ship vacations, casino road trips, and many other destinations with friends and loved ones. 

The world will be a dimmer place without the physical presence of our beloved mom, sister, grandma and honey – but her light will shine forever in our hearts.    

We would like to express heartfelt gratitude to both Dr. Tunji Fatoye and Alexis Naguit, Nurse Navigator with the CancerCare Manitoba Navigation Team, Dr. Jeremy Lipschitz of Health Sciences Centre, and the Palliative Care team at St Boniface Hospital for their exceptional care and compassion.

As per Marsha’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a private celebration of life will be forthcoming.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Darcy’s A.R.C or to CancerCare

Manitoba Foundation in support of research.