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MARLEEN ANNE (NEE NAZAR) HARSHENIN

June 23, 2020

Harshenin

HARSHENIN, MARLEEN ANNE

Marleen Anne Harshenin peacefully and gently passed on, surrounded in love from family and friends, and welcomed by loved ones who went before her, on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. She will be fondly and lovingly remembered by many.

FAMILY and HOME were

paramount to Marleen, and she was a devoted mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife, sister and friend as well as an excellent homemaker and home economist. She loved to cook and to feed others, which explains why so many family photos centre around a table laden with her phenomenal homemade foods. Well before it was in vogue to eat natural and organic foods, Marleen was milling her own wheat flour and regularly baking multiple loaves of wholewheat bread, annually preserving hundreds of jars of fruits and vegetables from the family’s huge organic garden, whipping up blenders full of parsley-green energy drinks or coyly cutting the cream cheese with equal amounts of tofu (way back when most people had still never heard of tofu) to make her own version of “cheesecake”. She was well ahead of her time in terms of health and nutrition, and that legacy lives on through her children and grandchildren, who thank her for this gift.

Marleen was born in Trail, BC, the eldest child of Sam and Ann Nazar. Her parents had five children but, very sadly, three did not survive past early childhood. This left a sizeable age gap between Marleen and her little sister, Shirley (Peter), with whom she shared a strong bond and a love of laughter. Their father was a true character whose idiosyncrasies were often the source of their amusement; and their mother was the poised epitome of grace and femininity. Marleen is happy to be reunited with them.

In her teens, Marleen’s family lived in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and that is where she met her husband, John, with whom she was married for more than fifty-five years. They had three children: Dan (Shirley), Deb (Harry), and Lynn. Marleen leaves behind many deeply loved grandchildren and great grandchildren: Danielle and her children, Romeo and Nadia; Geneva (Chase); Lexi; Nathan and his daughter Ava; Nevan; and Easton. The grandchildren acknowledge and were able to tell their grandmother what a great example she set for them in terms of love, caring, family and home. Marleen loyally and lovingly supported her family, typically in a quiet and mild-mannered way. But she could also, on occasion, be a fierce matriarch, adopting a mother-bear don’t-mess-with-my-family attitude and demonstrating her intense pride in and passion for her family. She leaves behind a family that learned to love and support one another through the example which she set for them.

With this same characteristic loyalty, Marleen loved and supported her friends, some of whom credit her with being their primary source of strength, perseverance and wisdom, helping them through challenging times. Marleen was always calm, centred and reliable, prioritizing others and wanting to help, and her friends benefitted from and appreciated this about her. It is said that when we lose someone we love, we gain an angel we know. Marleen will always help and support the people she loves.

Marleen had a strong straightforward faith which helped her through life. Do good, be good, believe that you have good, and you WILL have good in abundance. Allow positive and loving intentions to guide and motivate you always. In this, she succeeded, and her reward, we hope, is an eternally sunny beach, where she is enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, the sound of the waves and the soft caress and fragrances of the wind, forever. And so it is.

* * * * *

Thank you to Dr. McCloskey, whose wise and gentle loving care brought comfort to Mom and the rest of the family. Thank you also to the many Interior Health representatives who generously provided support, guidance and assistance.

The family will celebrate Marleen’s memory at a later date, with close friends invited to participate. For more

information, please email harsheninfamily@outlook.com or contact a family member.

Prayer for Protection

The light of God surrounds us;

The love of God enfolds us;

The power of God protects us;

The presence of God watches over us;

Wherever we are, God is!

Arrangements entrusted to Everden Rust Funeral Services, condolences may be

offered at www.everdenrust.com



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