Marie Kaufman

Marie Kaufman Sept. 24, 1943 - Jan. 25, 2017

Kaufman, Marie, also known as Marie Gray and Marie Gray Kaufman, passed away quietly on Jan. 25, 2017, in Calgary. By her side were the people she loved the most in life: her husband David Kaufman, daughter Dana Meneer, son-in-law Jason and grandchildren Molin and Jared (Keiko). Marie was born on Sept. 24, 1943; she and her brother Ken were raised by their father Sam Gray in Bracebridge, Ont. A lanky, spirited woman with a wealth of skills and talents, she came to Calgary in 1978 with her daughter Dana and worked with Wajax Industries as the office manager. She delighted in piloting her daughter around on many different and exciting adventures. Three years later, she met David at a New Year's Eve party. The two became true partners in marriage, in business and in their many adventures. In 1983, they started Junktiques, an Inglewood antiques store that became one of 9th Avenue SE's destination shops. Marie ran the business side of Junktiques, while David "putzed" in the back. They had the same division of labour at Woodwise, their warehouse showroom and furniture manufacturing shop in northeast Calgary. Over time, Dana joined Marie and David in both businesses and their wares found their way into thousands of customers' homes and dozens of restaurants, hotels and businesses. In 2016 and after 33 years, Junktiques closed its doors. Until her recent illness, Marie possessed seemingly limitless energy, which she gave freely to her many loved ones, work and friendships. She loved to entertain and often did so on a grand scale, cooking vast quantities of first-rate dishes from carefully guarded recipes. The Kaufmans would host dozens of people at a time at their home. Marie had a superb eye for decorating and design, and people often begged her to work for them. She graciously refused all offers, although her home and shop offered constant inspiration. Marie's other passions included music, art, summers on Georgian Bay at Pointe au Baril, baseball, the Calgary Flames, and travel of any kind. She was enthralled by nature, the kindness of others and people with a rollicking sense of humour. She will be missed (and remembered) by a boxcar full of people. A celebration of Marie's life will be held at Heritage Park in Gasoline Alley at 6:30 pm on Saturday Feb. 11, 2017. Friends are invited to attend.