Marilynn Joyce Graham

Marilynn Joyce Graham (nee Penner). Born April 27, 1955, in Steinbach, Manitoba, passed away peacefully on December 1, 2023, in Victoria. She is survived by her loving husband Roger, daughter Josephine, grandchildren Rachel and Melissa, and great grandchild Braysen. Marilynn had a stellar thirty-year career in the public service having worked for the Government of Canada in Whitehorse, Yukon and later for the Government of British Columbia in Victoria as a treaty negotiator. Marilynn fought hard for agreements that she believed in with Indigenous Nations, and which fairly reflected each Indigenous Nations needs and interests. If mandates presented inadvertent barriers to successfully concluding agreements, she fought equally hard for changes to those mandates. Marilynn was raised in a family of five children and was the only girl. She would describe her siblings as four “big, strapping brothers” Stanley, Conrad, Dennis, and Robert who helped to shape Marilynn’s character as a strong, fierce woman who daily lived her life with joy and enthusiasm. She was an accomplished pianist, loved to travel to places both near and far and had a tremendous knack at negotiating various hotel upgrades and accommodations along the way, earning her the much-loved nickname of “hotel queen”. She fought hard in life and overcame many challenges. Marilynn cared deeply for family and friends and always went out of her way to be there for others. She was a dear friend to many and was always looking for ways to enrich others lives with words, laughter, and acts of kindness. She loved her husband and family whole heartedly and Marilynn would beam with love and pride when recounting stories of great memories and amazing adventures with them. She is sorely missed.