Marilyn Ethel Young
Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt & Good Friend.
Marilyn Ethel Young (née Gowan) passed away on Tuesday, Dec 10, 2019, at Crofton Manor in
Kerrisdale, Vancouver, where she had lived for the past three years. Daughter of the late
Charles Donald (“Don”) Gowan, and the late Emily Lynn (“Lynn”) Gowan (née Green); and wife
of the late Andrew (“Drew”) Young, Marilyn passed away peacefully with her family around her.
She is survived by her five children – Catherine Tinnion, Sharon (Ross) Pritchard, Brian Young,
Donald (Karolyn) Young, and David Young; her two younger sisters – Donna MacDonald and
Patsy Lockey; and her six grandchildren – James & Lindsay Tinnion, Daryl (Selena) & Andrew
Pritchard, and Mackenzie & Madalynn Young.
Born in Vancouver, the eldest of three daughters, Marilyn’s earliest memories were of growing
up in a grand old Kerrisdale home owned by “Auntie” (Kaziah) during the early years of WWII.
Auntie had helped to raise both Marilyn’s mother and maternal grandfather. Marilyn’s family
moved in with Auntie to give back their loving support after she had been widowed. Marilyn and
sister Donna often recalled the lovely house and how they could squeeze in behind the piano in
the front parlour as a place to play or escape from adults.
In 1943, at the age of 10, Marilyn moved to Victoria, her Dad having been transferred there by
his employer, Sun Life Canada. Victoria would leave a lasting impression on Marilyn with its
English character and “Tweed Curtain” culture. Marilyn attended Oak Bay High School,
graduating in 1950. Perhaps it was here that her delight in “show tunes” and musicals became
apparent, often recalling the school’s theme song of the day, adapted from the popular 1950s
musical’s title track, “Ooooooklahoma”, that became instead “Ooooooak Bay High School”.
No doubt inspired by the spirit of independence felt amongst many women in post-war Canada
at the time, Marilyn enrolled in the Nursing School at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria following
high school. Her parents were “prouder than punch” when she completed her RN in 1954.
Following training, Marilyn moved into a house in Victoria with her three soulmates from Nursing
School – Jean, Fran and Willy. Together the friends, who were now working colleagues,
collectively learned what it meant to be independent and professionally employed. After a year
of working, Marilyn decided to move back to Vancouver to further her education, completing a
post RN diploma in Public Health at UBC in 1956. It was during this time that the infamous
“blind-date”, orchestrated by her three soul-mates, led to meeting Drew while he was a student
in UBC Medical School. They fell in love and were married in 1957.
Marilyn & Drew settled in Chilliwack in 1961, Drew being a General Practitioner and joining
practice with his brother Archie. The years that followed were heavily centred on family and
child rearing, with five children born between 1958 and 1970. Marilyn’s gift for connecting with
small children and her innate parenting instincts would be well put to the test in the years that
followed.
With an extremely busy physician spouse, most all of the organizing of family affairs fell to
Marilyn, aided greatly by her mother, Lynn, when her parents retired to Chilliwack in 1968.
Meals were three squares at home, with great emphasis on the family always gathering together
at dinner time. The list of events and occasions to be overseen was long and often very
involved – family reunions (both sides); birthday parties; kids school, sports, music & recreation
activities; book club; Bridge club; quilting bees (with Marilyn’s expert seamstress friends
gathering to add their bits of sewing to a quilt under production on a loom in the Living Room);
roles in local plays; church choirs; and many others, including family holidays to all corners of
BC and Canada. Imagine the organization needed to take a family of seven skiing for the day at
Manning Park, including the task of packing sandwiches, hot chocolate, fruit and cookies to feed
the entire lot at lunch, not to mention ski apparel and hill passes accounted for, all assembled
before leaving the house on the morning of skiing. Or equally daunting, a family of seven
driving from Chilliwack to Disneyland and back in the family “Station Wagon”.
Apart from her family, Marilyn’s great passions were her garden, her home, cooking and music –
especially on the piano. The garden in her Chilliwack home was transformed from an empty lot
when it was purchased in 1965 to a place of sublime tranquility, with spectacular rhododendrons
being her special pride. Since her passing, previous visitors to the house, both family & friends,
have consistently commented on how welcome and “at home” they felt in Marilyn & Drew’s
house, with the highlight of such visits often being spectacular homemade pies for dessert!!
Those who stayed overnight would have been treated, when turning in for the night, to the
sound of Marilyn playing the piano – Beethoven, Schubert or Chopin likely – her preferred way to
end a day.
With all her children having attained post-secondary education and largely leading their own
lives, Marilyn contemplated a return to nursing, but instead made a gracious transition to
Grandmothering – an easy transition for such a capable mother. Trips to visit her grandchildren,
living at times afar, were regular. The family home was maintained to ensure that any of the
children or grandchildren either passing through or needing to move home for awhile to get their
feet back on the ground were able to do so. Everyone came home for Christmas gatherings.
The magic of the open fire in the Living Room, caroles by the piano, good cheer, great meals &
goodies, and rousing games after dinner were simply fantastic and a winter refuge not to be
missed.
With Drew’s passing in 2013, Marilyn’s life became increasingly difficult as her own health
began to decline. It was heartbreaking to have to move from the home she and Drew had lived
in for nearly 50 years. With the help of her family, she managed to be comfortable and well
cared for until her final days. She is sorely missed by all those who knew and loved her dearly.
A Memorial to celebrate Marilyn’s life will be held at St. Mary’s Kerrisdale Anglican Church, 2490
West 37th Ave, Vancouver, at 2:00PM on Sat, Jan. 11, 2020. All are welcome to attend. In lieu
of flowers, please remember Marilyn with a donation to either, 1) The Chilliwack Academy of
Music [ www.chilliwackmusic.com/donate.html ], or 2) The Alheimer’s Society of BC
[ alzheimer.ca/en/bc/Get-involved/Ways-to-donate ].
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Marilyn Ethel Young Dec 29 1932 Dec 10 2019..
Death notice for the town of: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique