Marcelle Lucille Maher (nee. Prodaniuk), affectionately known as "Marcie,” was born in Canada and the youngest of four. Some of her fondest memories from her youth include going to the beach with her siblings, playing with paper dolls, listening to music, eating hand-made pierogies, and roller skating. In her teens, she moved from Canada to the US to live with her sister, a move that was just the beginning of her adventures.
Marcie married in her early twenties, traveled abroad to Germany and Japan, and, upon returning to the US, went on to visit nearly every state. She took residence for periods of time in Colorado, Washington, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Moving and traveling were very much a part of her adventurous spirit, but she would undoubtedly say family was her greatest adventure. She was a friend, sister, mother, and 'granny'. She has three beautiful daughters, whom she was very proud of, and five delightfully spirited grandchildren. No matter the circumstances, she embraced ways to make adventures for all her family. No terrain went unexplored. From ups: hiking through caves and up mountains, theme parks, meeting professional wrestlers, and animated dinosaurs. And downs: sliding down slippery mountain trails, camping in the rain, and sledding. The fast: go-carts, recumbent biking while blasting through the waves or boogie boarding. And slow: mini-golf, inner tubing down lazy rivers. Finally, she cherished the moments like a walk on the beach with sand between her toes, witnessing those she loved enjoy the moments with her. Marcie's love of adventure kept her a kid at heart, into her 70s she was still zip-lining and climbing tightropes with her family. Nothing was going to get in her way. She brought that same spirit to family board game nights. Although her nature was not competitive "to win" necessarily, and more about the bonding times. There was abundant laughter and even a few playful fights over board games played. She thoroughly enjoyed inventing her own rules for games. Her passions created many cherished moments for each of her family.
To use the term 'sunset years' or 'golden years' for Marcie meant watching sunsets and making memories golden. There was no slowing her down. In between her adventures, she was an avid reader. She indulged in mysteries, biographies, and history. Marcie enjoyed the discovery of searching for treasures in thrift stores and flea markets. Her purchases were always for others; little trinkets she knew would be meaningful to their recipient. Her favorite escape beyond reading and treasure hunting was to watch the television series The Amazing Race. It was the spirit of teamwork, experiencing other cultures, and seeing the cities and landscapes around the globe that captivated her. She created her own records by watching the show repeatedly, carefully noting the someday unique places.
Marcie’s whole purpose in life was to ensure her family knew of her unwavering love and support for each of them. She moved mountains for those she loved and to be recipient of that kind of sentiment is very special. Her family experienced her love in innumerable ways, and it has instilled the courage in them to find their pursuit of adventure. One of her final grand adventure wishes was to travel to a destination where few have been, a place where her family could always look to and receive her warm glow, a visual reminder of her passions from any location they may travel...let the countdown begin, 3...2...1, blasting off to the moon!
Enjoy the view, Mom. You are forever in our hearts and spirits. Tune in as we continue your travel adventures on our next amazing race.
