July 11th, 1935 – February 19th, 2025
Marion Ironquil Meadmore was born in July 11th, 1935 at Peepeekisis Cree Nation, 100 kilometres north east of Regina.
She attended File Hills Residential school north east of Regina until it was closed in 1949, then a stint at boarding school in Strasborg before finishing grade 12 at Birtle Residential School.
At age 18, her determination led her to move to Winnipeg to attend pre-med courses but quickly found that residential schools hadn’t prepared her for university. She would later become the first female Indigenous lawyer in Canada.
In 1956, she married Ron Meadmore, a supportive soft-spoken farmer from Culross, Manitoba who later had a storied CFL career, winning three Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The couple was happily married for nearly 57 years until Ron passed away in 2013.
Marion has received many awards for her contributions in law, business and Indigenous governance including the Order of Canada and an Honourary Doctorate from the University of Manitoba. Her accomplishments include, cofounding the first Friendship Centre in Canada, cofounding Kinew Housing, and cofounding the precursors to the Assembly of First Nations and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Marion was also an accomplished athlete. She organized and pitched for the Arrowettes, a women’s baseball team that played in Winnipeg’s North End for 17 years. The team represented Manitoba at the first North American Indigenous Games in 1990, where Marion, at age 55, pitched Manitoba to a gold medal and also won a bronze in archery.
She also recently described herself as a leaf on a tree in the fall, saying, “I’m going to fall to the ground, and when I get there, I’ll have to go right back to work.”
Marion leaves behind three loving sons – Glen; Neil (Kelleanne) and their three children Dakota, Kayla, and Connor; and Jim (Lorraine); her loving sister Doris Hyndford; and numerous relatives, friends and colleagues. She passed away peacefully and surrounded by family at her Winnipeg home on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025. She was 89.
1 thought on “Marion Ironquil Meadmore”
My condolences to Marion’s family. Marion was a close friend and I walked with her through our journey to become lawyers. She was an inspiration to me in terms of her discipline and ability to meet her achievements. When we first started at university before entering our respective law schools, we would study for hours at the library before rewarding ourselves by playing badminton. One of the coaches saw us play at the University of Manitoba gym and introduced us to squash, which we both loved. This helped me meet my achievements as she provided a structure for our studies. This must be a difficult time for her family. She certainly lived a full live in which she contributed so much.