About Us
Our board & staff
Melodie Zarzeczny, Board Chair
Melodie is the Board Chair and a recently retired management consultant whose career spanned over 30 years of providing governance, operational, strategic and merger planning to a wide range of not-for-profit organizations in Ontario and across Canada.
Melodie also sits on the Development and Planning Committee for the Oak Valley Health System.
Jackie Nixon, Treasurer
After more than 20 years achieving success in the financial services sector, Jackie made the leap from corporate Toronto to her community as a Real Estate Broker, working with a diverse clientele.
She has always been very active in her community, volunteering as an executive member of the non-profit Durham Girls’ Choir, participating as a board member of Bethesda House along with many other hands-on community initiatives. Jackie also has personal experience with loved ones in palliative care.
Jackie is the Board’s Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee. She and her family are long time residents of Bowmanville.
Debbie Lodge, Board Secretary
Debbie has worked for more than 35 years in the media advertising industry on major accounts such as Home Hardware Stores, McDonald’s (Manitoba), Tourism Toronto and Imperial Oil/ESSO. She was also the Advertising & Sales Manager for a large Ontario tourist attraction and a major Canadian record company.
Prior to joining the Durham Hospice Board, Debbie was a Board Member for the Alzheimer Society of Durham Region, Big Sisters of Ajax-Pickering and spent 20+ years as a volunteer guider and Commissioner for Girl Guides of Canada.
Debbie has been a Board Member of Durham Hospice for many years. She is Chair of the Governance Committee, member of the Executive Committee and Board Secretary.
Kirk Kemp
Kirk is the President of Algoma Orchards Limited, where he has been growing apples for over 40 years. Kirk has been a past President of Bowmanville Lions Club, past Director of Ontario Apple Growers Association and helped raise money for Durham College and the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex.
He has served on the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation Board of Directors for a number of years and joined the Marigold Hospice Board in 2019. Kirk has been instrumental in raising funds for the new hospice residence in Clarington.
Rod McArthur
Rod is a retired Dentist who practiced in Newcastle and was well-known for providing excellent patient care and comprehensive dental treatments to his patients for 35 years.
He joined the Marigold Hospice Board of Directors as a way to further serve his community. Rod lives in Bond Head.
Charles EwErt
Charles is a graduate of Queen’s University law school and recently joined the Marigold Hospice Board. After law school, he served as a Clerk to the Chief Justice of Ontario; practiced law in Newcastle and taught Law at Durham College and UOIT.
Charles has published four historical novels, a textbook on Mediation and several plays. His current loves are his wife Kathy, his daughters, his grandchildren and watercolor painting.
Yvonne Kryzanowski
Yvonne was born and raised in Bowmanville, and has a strong sense of community and the need to help others. After 30 years with OPG as a buyer in supply chain, Yvonne decided to retire in 2018 and give back to her community, first as a volunteer for the “New to You” shop, then as co-manager. The shop is run by volunteers and proceeds go to the Bowmanville Hospital. In 2018, Yvonne registered her border collie with Therapeutic Paws of Canada; she and her dog, Neva, visit nursing homes, schools and other organizations that require pet therapy.
Yvonne is also a member of Lakeridge Health Volunteer Board at Bowmanville Hospital, a member of Therapeutic Paws of Canada, an active church member and a member of 100 Women Who Care.
GWEN COLES
Gwen is a semi-retired nurse who has extensive work experience in Durham Region, including Lakeridge Health , Central East Home and Community Care, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, OPG and VON Durham Hospice.. Supporting individuals facing end-of-life and their families as a Pallative Patient Navigator deepened her desire to see a hospice residence available in Clarington.
Gwen and her family have lived in Clarington for almost 35 years, and is a new board member working on the Fundraising and Awareness Committee.
Our Former Board Members
Willie Woo, Vice-Chair
Willie joined the Marigold Hospice Board in October, 2018 after being involved (since 2014) with a small group engaged to see a hospice residence built in Clarington.
The Village of Newcastle has been “home” for the Woo family for over 67 years. In 2022, Willie was re-elected to Clarington Council for a fourth term. He has served as the Local Councillor and served for two terms as Regional Councillor. Willie is a retired employee of Goodyear Engineered Products – Bowmanville Plant.
Willie has been involved with many volunteer activities and committees. He was the Chair of Planning & Development Services and the Council Liaison on the Newcastle Community Hall Board, Samuel Wilmot Nature Area Management Advisory Committee, Bethesda House Board, St. Mary’s Cement Community Relations Committee, Visual Arts Centre Board and Clarington Youth Advisory Committee. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Marigold Hospice Executive Committee.
Marian Timmermans
Marian joined the board memeber in 2019.
“I blame Willie Woo for getting me engaged – 10 years now – with the goal of building a freestanding Hospice to serve our community. As much as I blame him – I am also thankful that he did draw me in.”
I am a retired ER nurse and many times I would be involved with patient’s and their families at the end of life. The patient wanted to die at home and families did try to make their wish a reality – however – in the last days of life, fear and anxieties set in and the family has reached their breaking point and they come to the ER. Once there – they are met by strangers, a hectic inpersonal environment. Nursing staff did what could be done to provide family privacy, etc.
This distressed all of us as this was not optimal for “end of life” care. We all said that there had to be a better option for our community. That option would be a Hospice. I have stored memories of some of those patients and their families and I keep them close as a driver to continue to realize our goal.
The mission and vision are our directives going forward to providing the best service(s) possible for our community. I have been very fortunate during these last 10 years – to meet and hear the personal stories of the last days of family members etc. Some are recounts of joyful experiences and some are not. These “personal truths” are firstly – very humbling and secondly, become the force that drives me forward to reach our goal.
The community has been very receptive to hear about, ask questions of and to donate to our Hospice. We have accomplished so much in these last 10 years – in getting the message about the purpose and content of Hospice Care. I enjoy getting stopped and questioned in the grocery store about the status points of our Hospice.
Remembering Our Board Members
Leo A.W. Blindenbach
Leo retired as Managing Partner of National Private Club Practice Inc., a consulting firm which specialized in operational analyses, marketing strategies, staff development and training, and managerial search and recruitment. Leo has more than 40 years of experience with volunteer boards, both as a board member and as an Executive Director.
He is a recipient of the 2021 Ontario Senior Achievement Award, which recognizes people age 65 years and over who have made outstanding contributions to their communities.
Leo resides in Newcastle.
Jill Richardson
Jill is a retired school principal and is very active in community service. She served as co-Chair of the “Buy Design for Windfall Clothing” charity event for five years, Fundraising Chair for Windfall Clothing, and served on their Board of Directors for 5 years.
She was also the Sponsorship Chair and a Committee member of “Newcastles of the World” and Port of Newcastle’s co-Chair for Clean-Up Day.
Jill joined the Board of Directors of Marigold Hospice and uses her many valuable talents as a member of the Fundraising committee.
Our Staff
Sharon Payton
Denise Kearsey
Steven Pinnock
Our Volunteers
We have many volunteers; too many to list. However, special acknowledgement is due to Mark Murphy, Senior Director, Capital Planning at Lakeridge Health. Mark has been supporting our hospice project since 2017, and continues to volunteer his time and his expertise