Marlene Alice Clarkson

Marlene passed away peacefully with family and relatives at her side at Vernon Jubilee Hospital on May 31, 2014. She became ill with pancreatic cancer during a winter RV vacation in Arizona. After numerous procedures in the hospital in Phoenix she was stabilized to fly and medevac’d to Vernon. She achieved her goal of getting to Mike and Jaime’s wedding at Paddlewheel Park April 19 and came home on palliative care for a month.

Marlene was born in Vernon Jubilee Hospital to parents Sam and Julie Knopf and grew up on an orchard in East Kelowna. She started her teaching career in Revelstoke then moved to the lower mainland to teach in New Westminster where she met husband Norm Clarkson. They were married in 1975 and moved to Port Alberni. Their son Michael was adopted there. In 1982 they moved to Nelson for a short time and their daughter Kathy was adopted there. The family moved to Vernon in 1984. Their active lifestyle included lots of camping and boating in Barkley Sound with their children. Norm retired at the end of 2013 and this left lots of time for RV’ing in Mexico and southern US and lots of time with the Port Alberni Yacht Club at Barkley Sound.

Marlene is survived by her loving family, husband Norm, son Mike Clarkson (Jaime) in Falkland and daughter Kathy Minchenko (Ryan) and granddaughter Sophia in Vernon. Her sister Vera Epp (Hans) resides in Victoria. Norm’s brother Len Clarkson lives in Squamish and sister Judy Marshall (Gary) reside in Port Moody. Marlene is pre-deceased by her parents and sister Myrtle Knopf.

Marlene was everything, a loving wife and mother and a source of strength and support for family and friends. She will remain forever in our hearts. The cards, gifts phone calls and emails from family and friends have been very supportive, and the family are grateful even though they are not always able to respond.

Friends are invited to a celebration of life will take place June 14 at 2:00 PM at the Shubert Center in Vernon. Condolences, She received excellent care from the doctors and nurses at Vernon Jubilee Hospital and those wishing to do so could make a donation in lieu of flowers to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation http://www.vjhfoundation.org/ways-to-give/donate/ . Marlene would like to have passed on a copy of her cookbook with favorite recipes for download. It can be found at http://l.bitcasa.com/LOcgm7gA and is set up to print on 4 X 6 file cards.