Hi my name is Nancy Silcock, Marion was my mom’s older sister and my second mom.

Auntie Marion, she was such a lovely person and I’m going to miss her dearly.

I’ve had this written for a while but just couldn’t bring myself to post it.  Yesterday was Marion’s service, it was simple and very nice.  I learned something about her that I didn’t know…she liked Queen, I had no idea.  Now, when I hear Queen I will be cranking the volume and thinking of Marion and all of the great memories that I have; here are a few:

Auntie Marion the explorer, she loved going on adventures.  Whether it was living in Saudi Arabia or simply exploring the Lower Mainland she always encouraged and regularly got Uncle Gordon and me to just go somewhere.  Sometimes it would be places like Buntzen Lake, other times it would be a pub at the entrance of Golden Ears which took 2 hours to drive to. 

Going to exhibits.  Auntie Marion and I did a lot of things together from going to Science World to going to Health exhibits, or to other events that were interesting.

Van Duesen Gardens.  One of my Christmas traditions is going to Van Duesen Gardens with my brother.  Auntie Marion always came with us until she was no longer able to.  She would laugh at the crazy Swedish elves and elbow herself into a good position for a picture with me and Jimmy.  The dancing musical lights though were her favorite as we would stand in the rain (usually) swaying to the music enjoying the lights.

Food.  Man oh man, could Auntie Marion cook…I loved going over there for dinner.  My mom, is a good cook too and the feasts the 2 sisters always mustered up were fantastic… the food was amazing.  My mouth is watering from just thinking about it.  I’m going to blame whatever weight I’ve gained on the 2 of them J  Roast Beef, roasted chicken, walnut sweet potatoes, salads,  the list goes on!!

She was always so nice and patient.  Auntie Marion always saw the best in people and always had a positive comment about everyone.  One time she was a witness to my first attempt to cook a bird and all the fix’ns and she was brave enough to eat it, she said it was delicious; she was always so nice.

Just hanging out.  We would spend hours just hanging out…either at their house in the sun room, shopping or going for walks.  Her kind, gentle personality was such a pleasure to be around and time would float by as we spent hours together.

Minaki.  I think this was her favorite place; her happy place.  I remember as a kid, Auntie Marion and the whole gang being at the lake, enjoying those nice hot days swimming and water skiing and at night watching shooting stars and the Northern Lights and having endless fun.

Secretly she was a rebel.  Before Auntie Marion’s 65^th birthday she mentioned that she wanted to get a tattoo…so Barbara and I got her all tattied up with a beautiful butterfly.  Can you guess where it was?  Get your mind out of the gutter – it was on her ankle.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera and it was before cell phone cameras.

Laughing and having fun.  Auntie Marion always told me to enjoy my life, go out and do things and to have fun with whatever I do…and I’ve taking her up on her advice.  One of my last visits with Auntie Marion I asked her if she knew who I was and this is what her reply was “We used to have a lot of fun together”.    Yes we did!  We always had fun together and always had a good laugh, right until my last visit with her…we had a good laugh.

Lastly, Auntie Marion enjoyed a nice glass of wine.  I raise my glass of wine, in your honor.  Cheers to you Auntie Marion!  I will miss you a lot!!

Love Nancy