November 5, 1933 - June 18, 2020
We are saddened and heartbroken to share that our beloved mother and Oma passed away on June 18th in Comox Valley General Hospital from an aneurysm. Even at the end, she was surrounded by family telling stories. Marian loved to share a good story.
It was during a cold and wet Mynen family reunion in 2001 while preparing her strawberry-covered angel food cake for dessert, a favourite among kids and grandkids alike, that Marian ended up covered in whipped cream. After inserting a new CO2 cartridge into the professional dispenser, the perfectly whipped cream came gushing out of the nozzle. Shrieks of surprise were barely muffled by her best efforts to eat it as fast as it came out. There was whipped cream everywhere, all over the motorhome canopy, her hair, clothes, and glasses. It will be Marian's love for laughing at funny situations, especially her own silly embarrassments, that family and friends will miss most.
Many a dinner table would be set, perfectly baked Yorkshire puddings would be pulled from the oven, grandkids would chuckle at being told to come "sit on the table", dinner would be served and eaten and then, THEN, the after-tabling would begin! Dirty dishes that would drive the newest members of the family crazy would sit on the table while stories would be shared, and the love for family would be felt by all. But Marian would welcome anyone into her home, even strangers, offer them coffee and something sweet, and they too would leave with the sense that they had "arrived too late and left too early".
Although she was happy in Canada, Holland always pulled at her heartstrings. One of many memorable trips back was with her oldest son Dick and his family. After a long day driving from Paris to Amsterdam, Marian taught her grandkids the true joy of hotel stays: jumping on beds guilt free. Late at night, in a sleepy hotel in a quiet town, squeals of grandkid laughter were caught on home video while Marian jumped up and down on the bed!
Her grandkids and children brought her great joy, as did her true love, Martin. She followed his dream to move to Canada without question, even though it meant leaving all she loved behind: her family, friends, and Dutch gezelligheid. She packed up their kids, an interesting assortment of belongings she thought they would need in the wild woods of Avola, BC, and braved the unknown. Together they established new roots and the family found great happiness and fulfilling lives in their adopted homeland.
Forty-one years later she again left a comfortable, well-established life of friends and grandchildren in Prince George, when she and Martin moved to Deep Bay on Vancouver Island; it took a bit before she no longer felt she'd moved to the "boonies"! New firsts and great adventures filled the last ten years of their lives, and family were never far away; wonderful annual reunions continued, either here or in Prince George. She created new friendships and had a whole new audience for the beautiful stories she loved to tell. She joined the Knitwits at the library, played crib at the Legion, and was a member of the Lighthouse Community Hall board. She had a great time as a bartender at the Hall with her newly acquired Serving It Right certificate! Her Supper Club friends will remember her stint as the fortune-teller Mamalou: Ask me anything, I know everything. Her humour and her warmth will be fondly remembered by so many far and wide.
Marian will be missed by her daughter Simone (Steve Lombardo and daughter Teka (daughter Jasmine, husband Vic Stewart)), daughter Mieke (Marcus Haywood), son Dick (Dorothy), and daughter-in-law Dina; grandchildren Tonianne (David Okano), Stephanie (Kevin Hautcoeur), Christina (Dave Marchand) and James; great-grandchildren Ripley Okano and Benjamin Marchand; nephew Arnt (Diana) Veltum and children Mick and Ilja, and close relatives in Quesnel.
In Holland she will be missed by her sister Gina and brother Jan as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends. Marian was predeceased by her husband Martin and son Marcel.