1926 - 2009

by Sylvia Jean Smith

Marjorie Craven Bursa, good friend and colleague to many of us in the Ottawa, Canada region, died in Ottawa on February 13, 2009, 05:10 AM EST.   She had been in ailing health for the past three years. She touched many of our lives, and this speaks of a richness in the fabric of her life that made her the warm and loving person that she was.

I first met Marjorie more than ten years ago at a group meeting of astrologers, and although her stature was small, her presence wasn’t - you knew when she entered the room. There was this "air" about her that was almost regal, and quite frankly at the time, I felt a little intimidated by her. I think this was in part, that I was feeling very much "the student", and saw her, at the time, as the one who was the expert in this field of astrology. Over time, our relationship grew into a strong friendship as we shared our passion for not only astrology, but also astronomy. We attended a course on back-yard astronomy together in the mid-1990s - ever careful not to reveal to the astronomer teaching the course, that we were astrologers. Regardless, we had great fun attending this course, and this led to many other activities together, as our friendship grew.

Studying astrology very often coincides with a time in our lives when changes are occurring and we are at a cross-road of re-building. Marjorie moved to Ottawa in 1955 from the UK and began that very journey, which included marriage, her career, and her passion for astrology. By 1981, she was not only teaching this Art, but was giving astrological consultations. By her own admission, income from astrology was marginal, but she had a regular clientele.

Marjorie graduated from Cambridge in 1947 as a Geographer, and completed her Ph.D at McGill University, Montreal in 1955.

BIRTH AND DEATH DATAT:
Source: Sylvia Jean Smith

BIRTH:     May 15, 1926, 9:44:43 PM British Summer Time, Scunthorpe, England. .

 DEATH:   February 13, 2009, 05:39 AM EST, Ottawa, Canada.

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CREDITS: This memorial was written by Sylvia Jean Smith.  Photo provided by Sylvia Jean Smith.  Memorial created by Liz Houle.