December 11, 1949 – May 18, 2024 

Marlene Isabelle Carol Campbell (née Aaltonen) passed away peacefully at home on May 18, 2024, at the age of 74 after a brief battle with cancer. 

Marlene is survived by her beloved husband of 50 years, Bruce, her five children Matthew (Barb), Luke (Crystal), Clare (Andy), John, and Joan, as well as her 12 grandchildren, Noah, Charlotte, Dominic, Thomas, Isabelle, Susanna, Miriam, Felix, Bridget, Evelyn, Jeanette, and Vincent. She will be remembered with love by her sisters Barbara Lavallée and Judy Klassen and their families. Marlene was dearly loved and will be forever missed by many other close friends and relatives. 

Marlene was born December 11, 1941, in Vancouver, B.C. to Eelis and Jeannette (née Nobert) Aaltonen. Marlene attended French Catholic schools while growing up. As a young adult she worked as a court stenographer, a secretary at MacMillan Bloedel, and in the Passport Canada office. These positions helped foster her impressive typing and organizational skills, contributing to her volunteerism throughout her life. She enjoyed traveling, going on memorable trips to Whitehorse, Ottawa, Ireland, England, and across South America. 

Growing up in Vancouver, Marlene developed a love for horses and cowboys through TV and movies. Little did she know she would end up marrying her very own cowboy and working as a camp cook at Quilchena Ranch in Merritt when they were first married. This likely led to her uncanny ability to prepare meals in mere minutes after returning home from one of the family’s adventures. She will be well-remembered for her hospitality and her specialties: homemade bread, canned peaches, special birthday cakes, toffee, pancakes (turns out they were crepes), and sugar cookies. 

Marlene had an encyclopedic knowledge of classic movies, enjoyed countless games of poker, spent many a day enjoying the sun at the beach, and loved the excitement of a good find in a secondhand shop. She will primarily be remembered for her devotion to her family and her Catholic faith. She was grateful to Bruce for his hard work that allowed her to be home to support her family. She was very active in Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish through the Catholic Women’s League and the parish school for nearly 50 years. It was truly her home community, being married there, celebrating her children’s sacraments there, and now being buried there. She volunteered at countless school events and helped coordinate funeral lunches and the OLPH Christmas Bazaar tea room for years. She also worked tirelessly for the pro-life cause and was quite active politically, meeting several of her greatest friends through these activities. 

Her family would like to extend sincere thanks to all the healthcare workers who took such wonderful care of Marlene during her final illness. It was touching to see their compassion in action. 

Funeral prayers will be held at OLPH Parish on Monday, June 17 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a funeral Mass on Tuesday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. with a reception to follow. 

In lieu of flowers, her family asks that a donation be made to a charity of your choice in her honour. 

You may offer a message of condolence at Schoening Funeral Service for the Campbell family. 

• Date : 2024-05-18
• Location : Kamloops