Marian Boase

Marian Boase passed away peacefully at the North Shore Hospice, surrounded by loving family including her husband of 61 years, Phil and their two children, Richard and Shannon with their respective partners Teresa and Patrick. Marian was predeceased by daughter Michele, who passed in 1960. She is survived by grandsons Kayl and Dexter and many nephews and nieces.

Born in Pleasley, England to Hedley and Violet (Hannant) Donaldson, Marian had two brothers, Bob and Peter, who pre-deceased her. Hedley was a coal miner and Violet was variously, a domestic servant, a cook, and, during WWII, a munitions factory worker and a silk parachute seamstress.

Growing up in England during WWII, Marian learned from her Mother the value of family, nurturing love and “pitching in”, during times of scarcity. Marian’s love and dedication to family expanded in the years to come, as families and friendships grew and as she developed her own roots in North Vancouver—she was always trying to ensure people were fed, were happy and most of all were healthy.

In 1955, when she was just 21 years old, Marian traveled to Canada on the first stop of an around the world journey. She arrived in New York City by ship, then headed North to Toronto, where she stayed with brother Bob, who had emigrated years earlier. She secured a clerical job in Toronto, met friends, one of whom was looking for a drive partner to go “out West”. Marian’s adventurous spirit jumped at the chance—so in November 1955 two young women drove across the continent to Vancouver. Marian’s plan was to work for a few months and then travel to Australia. Love had other plans. Marian met her great true love, Phil, in Vancouver. Phil says that he “spent 2 years trying to get her to marry him”.

Phil and Marian were married on November 29th, 1958. Mom remembers sharing the spotlight with the Grey Cup, held on the same day and also in Vancouver. She wore a beautiful white silk, nipped-in the waist, ballerina length wedding dress. Her going-away outfit was a tailored wool suit with perfectly matched accessories, including hat, gloves and purse.

Marian’s adventurous spirit served her well in the early years of marriage. Marian and Phil moved from Vancouver, to Kimberley, BC and then onto Nigeria, where Phil was leading a land surveying project. She followed him into the bush. She helped with the payroll, worked the altimeter and became pregnant. Richard was born in 1963 in Marian’s home town of Pleasley, where she had traveled while 6 months pregnant. Phil met his son for the first time when Richard was 6 weeks old.

Marian’s love of family and desire to provide a stable home, took them back to North Vancouver, where they had Shannon in 1965. North Vancouver was to be their haven and home for the rest of their married life (with a short stint in Jakarta in the late eighties). Marian loved the North Shore—particularly the community of neighbors and friends they met and the easy access to the outdoors. Curling, bridge, hiking, golf, Brownies (she was Goldie Owl), sport days’, birthday parties, travel and dinner parties all formed the backbone of their lives in North Vancouver. In later years, she would avidly look forward to hikes on the North Shore mountains and the camaraderie she felt with the Trail Trekkers.

Marian’s work at a local medical office was more an excuse to develop friendships with a wonderful group of women she cherished and be at the nexus for news on the North Shore.

She loved coffee in the morning, a beautiful sunset viewed from their deck and a weak gin and tonic on a hot summer day. More than anything, though, Marian loved being a Mom and later she relished the role of Nana to her beloved Grandsons Kayl, Dexter and Stephen. She generously gave love and time to all those around her. Everyone who came into contact with Marian (she called them her “Treasures”) felt important, felt listened to and most of all felt cherished.

The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to the doctors and nursing staff at the North Shore Hospice who lovingly cared for Marian and made her comfortable in her last weeks.

A celebration of life for Marian will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Lions Gate Foundation for the North Shore Hospice would be greatly appreciated.