Marion Violet Broder

      Marion Violet Broder was born on 5 June 1925 in 40 Leopold Place, New Westminster, British Columbia.¹ She was the daughter of Robert Roswell Broder and Violet Faye Jones.¹ She was baptized on 28 December 1925 in New Westminster, British Columbia.² She married James Gordon Doyle, son of Charles Michael Doyle and Gerda Louisa Naas, on 20 July 1946 in St Peter's Church, New Westminster, British Columbia.^3,4 She and James Gordon Doyle lived in 40 Leopold Place, New Westminster, British Columbia^G, between 1946 and 1948. The home, Marion's family home, was a wedding gift from her father. Marion and James lived in a house on the grounds of Broder Canning Company in Lethbridge, Alberta between 1948 and 1952. Marion and James lived in 3015 Parkside Dr, Lethbridge, Alberta, from 1952 to 1979. About 1959 an addition was built on the west end of the house adding 4 bedrooms and a mother-in-law suite. During the 1950s, '60s and '70s Marion was very active in the Southminster United Church UCW (United Church Women) and was its President on several occasions. On 7 February 1957 James and Marion flew from Vancouver, BC to Honolulu, HA. They were accompanied by an unknown person.⁵ In the 1960s, Marion and James had a summer home in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta. She graduated from the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta, on 12 May 1979 with a degree in Business. Her son Randy graduated at the same time. Marion and James lived on an acreage called Windmeadows at the south edge of Lethbridge, Alberta after 1980. The property, approximately 55 acres, was purchased in 1972 and the house, which was designed by Marion, was built in 1979. By the early 2000s much of the land had been sold to a developer leaving about 11 acres.⁶

On 20 Aug 2016, Marion and James celebrated their 70th anniversary with a family party at Windmeadows. They received greetings from Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Governor General David Johnston.

She was left a widow when James Gordon Doyle died on 19 November 2021.⁷ She died on 12 September 2022 in Lethbridge, Alberta, at age 97.⁸

On 5 August 2023, Marion's and James's ashes were interred in Mountain View Cemetery, Lethbridge, Alberta^G.

Marion left a notebook with handwritten vignettes of her life. This was probably written in the early 2000s.

In 2013, Marion received a leather-bound journal with a request to share her life stories. A copy of that journal is here.