Marlene Ella Bowman

Marlene Bowman died peacefully on May 26, 2023 in Victoria General Hospital. She had recently spent a lot of good moments with everyone in her large and loving family and many of them were able to be with her in her last days. Our Mom loved the Italian language and in her last week her thoughts were expressed in a mixture of English and her favourite Italian phrases. She didn’t fear death and the last words she spoke were, I would very much like the end please, followed a few minutes later by “va bene”.

The memory of her curious, inquisitive nature and her boundless, patient energy will be cherished by all who knew her.

Born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan on October 14, 1933 she grew up in Weldon SK and qualified as a teacher at normal school, later earning a BA at the University of Saskatchewan. She met her husband Jim when their one-room schools met for a baseball game. In keeping with the times, Jim was given the job of umpire even though as a recently arrived Englishman he knew nothing of the game. She helped him, he offered her a chair and, as the story goes, later recited poetry to her and that was that.

Marlene Ella Paine and James Arthur Bowman had a deep bond and a long, loving relationship full of laughter, poetry and good conversation. They raised four children, moving the family from Saskatchewan to Tsawwassen, BC in the 70s before retiring to their beloved East Sooke on Vancouver Island in the early 90s. Grama Marni and Grampa Jim’s home there was the setting for countless merrily raucous family gatherings and will always have a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren. The great-grandchildren born following our Dad’s death brought Mom much joy.

Marlene was interested in art her whole life and often spoke of how she was inspired and encouraged by an early teacher, Wynona Mulcaster. She discovered her passion for ceramics later in life. “I was in my forty’s when I saw for the first time, the beauty of a cylinder growing on a potter’s wheel and I fell in love with clay.” Her art-making evolved over the years as she explored new ways to create with clay. Their move to East Sooke was in part so she could “make smoke” and raku-fire sculptural pieces on their acreage. Later, her pieces often contained political and environmental commentary and she loved adding texture to her work that reflected both the natural world around her and elements of modern life like the motherboard of her computer. Her pieces can be found in collections around the world. Marlene particularly enjoyed sharing her methods with folks interested in her work. Her many studio tours were a perfect opportunity for this and gave her much pleasure.

In her last years she reflected on three Ls that characterized her life. Learning, Loving and Laughing. We were lucky to be part of it.

Marlene was predeceased by her parents Harold and Eva Paine, her husband Jim, her brothers Richard and Brian Paine and her nephew Jeff and niece Heather. She is survived by her four children: Kathleen (Tomaso), William (Jennifer), Susan (Brad) and Elizabeth (Brian); nine grandchildren: Uanand (Beatrice), Robert James (Molly), Ella (Drew), Stephen, Patrick (Brennan), Heather (Adam), Thomas (Tyler), Sophia and Madeline; five great grandchildren: Khian, Alfie, Leona, Remy and Lucy; sisters in-law Linda Paine, Sandra Paine and Mary Bowman and her nieces and nephews in Canada and England.

A Celebration of Marlene’s life will be held on Friday, June 30th from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at the Metchosin Community Hall, 4401 William Head Road in Metchosin.