Obituary of Marian Neild, SAC Charter Member
By: Virginia Martin
SAC Charter member, Marian Neild, died in Winnipeg on March 20, 2020 at 97 years old. Marian had earlier careers before she returned to school. She worked in England as a nurse’s aid during World War II, and afterwards worked in Winnipeg in a medical clinic. She went to the University of Iowa as a mature student for her undergraduate degree in speech therapy which was awarded in 1963. She started working at the Child Guidance Clinic of Greater Winnipeg and spent the rest of her career there. She worked for several years before she returned to Iowa to obtain her master’s degree in 1967.
Marian was active in both The Manitoba Speech and Hearing Association (MSHA) and a charter member of SAC. Marian chaired the Elks’ International Conference on Early Management of Hearing Loss in 1980, held in Winnipeg. Starting in 1976, The Elks’ International Conferences were held in conjunction with the national meeting of the then Canadian Speech and Hearing Association, the founding name of SAC.
Marian worked with many of the early pioneers including Isabel Richard, Marian Mills and Grace Harris. She attended most of the early MSHA conferences and continuing education events starting in the 1960s until her retirement in the late 1980s. She mentored many early clinicians in Winnipeg.
A colleague wrote: “A brilliant person has left our world. She taught me so much about speech therapy… She arrived at work at Mulvey School at 7:00 a.m. everyday. She was loved by the families of the students she worked with and maintained friendships with her students for years… She was incredibly creative in her work; her language activities were amazing!”
Marian was an innovative and dedicated clinician, a supportive colleague and a loyal friend.
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