Frank Marlyn

Died peacefully on Dec. 6, 2011 in White Rock BC.

Frank was born in Winnipeg, son of Adam Marlyn and Paula (nee Kendl) the youngest of four siblings, on April 21, 1919. He was predeceased by his his sister Paula and brothers Johnny and Charlie. He is survived by his children, Sean, Chris, and Sharon and five grandchildren.

Frank became a big part of the life at our home in White Rock over the past five years and his absence has left a big hole in our household. During his time with us he showed the determination and sense of humour in the face of adversity ,which were his trademarks. A couple of years ago when we got a large delivery of compost. Each day for several weeks Frank dug away at the compost with his special small shovel, and each day when we came back from work the pile was a little smaller. A year ago when he had a bad fall on the street outside the house he spent some time ion hospital. He was in a neck brace staring at the ceiling. When asked how he was doing he replied “okay, but they really need to get Michelangelo in here.”

Frank grew up during the depression. He talked fondly of the resourceful ways his family managed to cope with the challenges of this era. His mother was an outstanding baker and helped him develop a great love of pastries.

The war had a tremendous impact on Frank’s life. It gave him a chance to pursue his chosen of vocation of regional planning and to meet his wife. After enlisting and undergoing officer training he was made an infantry lieutenant with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles in 1944 and sent to Europe. Leading his platoon through a minefield near the Rhine River he and several of the soldiers under his command triggered mines and suffered devastating injuries. After the war he was given the chance to study architecture at the University of Manitoba and did postgraduate work in London as a regional planner. On a visit to Northern Ireland he met Patricia Nicholson, and brought her back to Canada. They were married in 1954.

In his work as a regional planner Frank experienced a great deal of success and fulfillment. As city planner for Edmonton worked on preserving the river valley in Edmonton as a park, and he also on designing the ring road system for Edmonton and Calgary. Later, woking for the Alberta provincial government he was instrumental in bringing municipal government to Banff and Jasper. He was also very proud of his work on amalgamating the communities of the Crowsnest pass and the Drumheller region.

Frank really loved being in the mountains and has asked that his ashes be scattered in the Rockies, where he enjoyed backpacking and skiing. He also enjoyed travelling and recounted his postwar trip to Mexico on a bus without airconditioning. He also travelled extensively in Europe after the war, and later made trips to Nepal, Greece, Hawaii, and the Canary Islands. On the latter trip he got his first taste of riding a camel at the age of 80.

Living alone, after being divorced in 1975 Frank enjoyed a long and happy retirement. For many years he drove up to the pool for his daily swim and sauna. He developed a great love of gardening and was very proud of his garden in Edmonton. His large lot, sloping down to the ravine gave him a chance to experiment with a wide variety of trees and shrubs. His neighbors organized a special celebration when he moved to White Rock to commmorate his garden.

Frank, who tended to avoid organized social situations, had a way of becoming known and loved by a lot of people in the community. In our area of White Rock a large number of people, coffee shop owners, neighbours, taxi drivers, etc. knew who he was and many of them enjoyed doing little things for him and took responsibility for looking out for him. On his daily walk for coffee he made several stops to sit down on benches. Some of the neighbours put chairs out for him and one regularly gave him magazines to read. His family would like to thank all of those neighbours and also city of White Rock staff who responded quickly to requests to clear snow/oil spills etc. so that he could walk to coffee safely.

Frank continued to have a strong interest in politics and ideas right up to the end of his life. He also enjoyed watching sports, and during the hockey or football games would pop upstairs regularly to inform us of the score. While he was a bit puzzled by the overwhelming level of activity in our house, it was clear that he really appreciated having a family and being able to live in a house.

We appreciate having had the chance to experience his generosity, humour, and fortitude and miss him a great deal.

A commoration of his life was held on Dec. 10 at his home in White Rock.