Marion Olivieri

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marion Edna Olivieri (Stewart), predeceased by her husband Ernie Olivieri, who had passed on June 10th of 1989.

Marion leaves behind her legacy amongst her three caring children: Vicki, Judy, and Tony, along with her four grandchildren: Jim, Rebecca, Hailey, and Nicholas. Additionally, the devotion of Marion’s sons/daughter-in law: Dave, Larry and Karen, along with her nieces and nephews: Connie (Bob), Lyn (Ken), and Ron (Jane) is one that does not go unnoticed when having supported Marion during her time earthside.

For those who don’t know, Marion was born in the prairies of Hanna, Alberta, where she was raised alongside her brother Lawrence (Bud) and her two sisters: Myrtle and Alice. Marion was the youngest of her siblings. Together, they would all lay down at night while they snuggled up under their mother Alice’s homemade quilt while sharing stories. During the day, the family worked many long hard hours farming alongside their father William. He played a role in displaying what a strong work ethic looks like for Marion and her siblings. Despite having lived a hard farming life, Marion would still find joy in riding her horse Ace, as well as running with the family dog Shep. She also enjoyed picking bouquets of spring crocuses for her mom.

Around the 1950s, Marion made her way over to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she met and then married the love of her life Ernie on September 17th of 1954. Residing in the East Vancouver neighbourhood, Marion and Ernie raised three children. It was then that community service became a part of their lives. Sharing a beloved passion for service to humanity, Marion served as president/secretary for her community. Some of which include the…

• Hastings Community Association Women’s Auxiliary
• Hastings Park Committee
• Hastings Minor League Hockey and Little League Baseball
• And being PAC president at both Dr. A. R. Lord Elementary for her children from grades 1 through 7, as well as at Templeton Secondary from grades 8 to 12.

Throughout Marion’s service to her community, her work would go on to get recognized, being awarded with Hastings Community Association’s Lifetime Volunteer Award, as well as the Governor General of Canada medal in 1992. Although, one of the most notable opportunities that Marion had was being selected to carry the Olympic Torch through her neighbourhood, an opportunity she participated in with great pride. The words engraved on the torch read “with glowing hearts.” This was the way in which she approached her life.

Alongside her community service, Marion was employed with BC Tel (now Telus) for 35 years, working as a ship-to-shore operator. While working here, she would continue to advocate as a union member, striving to provide equal opportunities for women working in her field and beyond. After retiring from her position with the telephone company, she took up many different hobbies and interests, including…

• Golfing and playing cards with her best friend Eva and many of her lifelong friends
• Traveling with family and friends
• And avidly reading in her spare time. The last books that she read were the biographies of Barack and Michelle Obama, Richard Wagamama’s “Embers,” as well as the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

Marion expressed how much she enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing different cultures through traveling. Her passport took her to…

• Mexico
• United States
• Australia
• The Cook Polynesian Islands
• Costa Rica
• The Philippines
• Thailand
• Hong Kong
• The Caribbean Islands
• As well as the Amazon River

Marion found joy throughout many challenging times throughout her life. She always said “there’s a silver lining in every situation,” and the silver lining starts with showing appreciation to ones you care for.

Our mom’s light has dimmed but her legacy lives on. Consider reflecting on ways to shine your light.