Celebration of Lives of Malcolm & Silvia Marshall

SILVIA & MALCOLM MARSHALL

MARCH 25, 1939

DECEMBER 21, 1931

JUNE 23, 2022

AUGUST 13, 2022

September 16, 2022 Granville Chapel | 5901 Granville Street Vancouver

Thank you for honouring and remembering Malcolm and Silvia with us.

In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation to

PIONEER PACIFIC CAMP To donate by phone, call 604-818-9762 Donations can be mailed to Pioneer Pacific Camp 238 Pioneer Road 5-10 Thetis Island, BC V0R 2Y0 Online donations can be made at: www.pioneercamppacific.ca/donate/ - donor may choose where to designate the donation, but "General Fund" covers all.

THANKS TO THE MUSICIANS John Williams Jen Williams

Voice, Piano & Arranging Alto Voice

Emma Ringrose

Oboe

Minjee Yoon

Cello

ORDER OF SERVICE Musical Prelude Welcome & Prayer Hymn Favourite Scriptures Memories of Grandma & Grandpa Medley of Family Memories Hymn Reading: Psalm 23 Memories from Granville Chapel Memories from Dayspring Fellowship/Holy Trinity & Pioneer Pacific Camp Hymn Memories from InterVarsity and ongoing friendship Closing Thoughts & Reflection Hymn Benediction, thanks and instructions Musical Postlude

John Williams and friends Paul Williams How Great Thou Art Norman Grattan & Karen Hamade Lukas, Emmet & Danai Passchier Ernest Silverton & Kelly Passchier O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus Leanne Frechette Fook Weng Chen & Edith Rae

Stanley & Ruth Martin In Christ Alone Ian Elliot & Garry Wickett

Neil Graham Great is Thy Faithfulness Paul Williams John Williams and friends

MALCOLM’S FAVOURITE SCRIPTURES: John 1:14, 16-18

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

SILVIA’S FAVOURITE SCRIPTURES: 1 John 4:18

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Psalm 37:4 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Isaiah 26:3-4

3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

1 Timothy 6:6-7

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

John 17:3

3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

HOW GREAT THOU ART O Lord, my God When I, in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder Thy power throughout the universe displayed Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art And when I think that God, His Son not sparing Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow, in humble adoration And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art

O THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE OF JESUS O the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free; Rolling as a mighty ocean In its fullness over me.

Underneath me, all around me, Is the current of Thy love; Leading onward, leading homeward, To my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Spread His praise from shore to shore; How He loveth, ever loveth, Changeth never, never more; How He watches o’er His loved ones, Died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth, Watcheth o’er them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Love of every love the best: ‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing, ‘Tis a haven sweet of rest, O the deep, deep love of Jesus!

‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me; And it lifts me up to glory, For it lifts me up to Thee.

IN CHRIST ALONE In Christ alone my hope is found He is my light, my strength, my song This cornerstone, this solid ground Firm through the fiercest drought and storm What heights of love, what depths of peace When fears are stilled, when strivings cease My comforter, my all in all Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone who took on flesh Fullness of God in helpless babe This gift of love and righteousness Scorned by the ones He came to save Till on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied For every sin on Him was laid Here in the death of Christ I live There in the ground His body lay Light of the world by darkness slain Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost its grip on me For I am His and He is mine Bought with the precious blood of Christ No guilt in life, no fear in death This is the power of Christ in me From life's first cry to final breath Jesus commands my destiny No power of hell, no scheme of man Can ever pluck me from His hand Till He returns or calls me home Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

IN REMEMBRANCE Malcolm Frederick Marshall & Silvia Lea Marshall (née Silverton) Malcolm’s First Four Decades Malcolm was born on midsummer’s day on December 21, 1931 in Matamata, New Zealand to May and Herbert Marshall of the village of Waharoa, who had emigrated from the UK to NZ in 1923. He grew up, the youngest of three, with older brother Cecil and sister Millie, often going to school barefoot, playing rugby, catching eels in the creek, picking lemons from the tree in their backyard, and eating frozen cream drippings from the milk processing plant where their father worked – a fun-loving, active village lad. Graduating from Matamata Highschool, he studied Physical Education at Otago University in Dunedin and also trained to be a teacher.

During Malcolm’s university years, his brother Cecil was instrumental in Malcolm coming to active faith in Jesus – a journey of faith that spanned seven decades. Malcolm’s teaching experience was varied – at Matamata highschool, where he himself had attended, at a boys’ boarding school in Timaru, and the Physical Education College at Otago University where he had also studied. A member of the Alpine Club, he loved ski-mountaineering and was on the search and rescue team. He climbed numerous mountains, forming life-long friendships with many of his climbing mates. In his spare time, he combined his great love of the outdoors with mentoring young people in Scripture Union outdoor camps where he led campers tramping (hiking), kayaking (in kayaks he built himself), and backcountry camping.

Twice he spent two years back in the UK – the first in the late 1950s when he reconnected with his extended family, taught in inner-city London, drove lorries in London, and led outdoor adventures with the Christian Mountain Centre in Wales. In England again in the late 1960s, he attended London Bible College, where, among studies and outreaches in Europe, he made the acquaintance of a Canadian classmate named Silvia.

On his way back to New Zealand from England by boat in 1970, he stopped off in Vancouver, BC for a job interview with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship who were looking for an outdoor camp director, a contact which Silvia had catalyzed.

Although this trip did not result in a job at that time, the connections made were to last the rest of his life. To begin with, he ended up getting engaged and married to Silvia and bringing his bride back to New Zealand on the second leg of the boat journey with him!

Silvia’s First Three Decades Silvia was born on March 25, 1939 in Calgary, AB to Lea and Walter Silbermann (who later changed their surname to Silverton) who had married in Lea’s birth-country Estonia and travelled to Canada, Walter’s birth-country, to start their life together. They returned to Walter’s family farmstead in Barons to raise their family, where Silvia grew up and went to Barons Consolidated School, the middle of three children, with older sister Mae and younger brother Ernie, close to cousins Lillian,

Albert and Martha Munz. Growing up on the edge of the wheatfields in a prairie town, she chewed wheat gum, and jumped railway tracks, but also had the opportunity for activities like ballet and piano lessons in nearby Lethbridge, as well as playing basketball at school. Her natural enthusiasm and friendliness forged friendships within the community and extended family which continued even as people moved away to pursue their careers.

Graduating from highschool, Silvia studied nursing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, before moving to Toronto to study Public Health and then eventually Montreal for her RN. In Toronto, she became involved in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) and came to an active faith in Jesus during this time. Her early nursing experience included a year-long stint

in

West-Bengal

with

Canadian

University

Students

Overseas, and working in rural locations in The Pas, MB and Hazelton, BC. In 1967, Silvia headed to England to study at London Bible College, returning in 1969 to work as a nanny in Vancouver for her friend Bev and to be closer to her parents who had retired to Victoria. In Vancouver, she connected with the IVCF community in BC and was instrumental in connecting them with one of her Bible college classmates by the name of Malcolm Marshall, as a potential outdoor camping director. So it was that in December 1970, Silvia toured Malcolm around Vancouver and Victoria for two weeks and they got engaged, and then married, before heading to New Zealand in early 1971

to meet Malcolm’s family. Silvia made quite the sensation in the more conservative 1970’s New Zealand with her mini-skirts and ebullient personality!

Malcolm and Silvia Together After a year and a half living in New Zealand, introducing Silvia to Malcolm’s family, working as teacher and nurse, and exploring Malcolm’s favourite places, Malcolm and Silvia returned to Canada in mid-1972 to take up a position as camping director at Pioneer Pacific Camp, living on Thetis Island for the next three and a half years. These years again forged life-long friendships born out of shared activities and ministry. In late 1975, Malcolm and Silvia moved to Vancouver. They lived as houseparents in Jacob’s Pillow and became involved in Dayspring Fellowship, a Christian community in Kitsilano. Malcolm went back to study at UBC to get a Ph.D in Educational Psychology, which resulted in a job as Educational Psychologist with the Richmond School Board for more than 20 years. After their two children, Kelly (1976) and Peter (1979), were born, Silvia focussed on being a mum, also looking after the children of friends along with her own. With her high energy, she would often arrange outings for picnics to the beach or a trip to the zoo and aquarium, or some more home-based fun like a cookie making “party” with a whole table full of kids making cookies together. From 1978, Malcolm and Silvia raised their family in the Marpole neighbourhood, where they continued to live until early 2022. Family trips back to New Zealand and to Alberta kept them actively connected with extended family and friends over the span of

years and distance, and their home was always open to receive friends and family on visits in return.

Active members of the local church, Malcolm and Silvia served in many roles in their church communities: Dayspring Fellowship (19751987), Holy Trinity (1987-1992), and Granville Chapel (1992-2022).

Their varied interests and abilities drew them into a variety of ministries, including church leadership, prayer ministry, pastoral care, hosting home groups and practical service roles. Malcolm’s quiet wisdom supported many processes and decisions, but he lived out servant leadership, and could be found on many a Sunday morning in the kitchen setting out and washing up communion cups. Silvia’s passion for people, healing, and prayer drew her into prayer ministry of various kinds – she was always ready to hear someone’s story and pray with them. InterVarsity and Pioneer Pacific Camp remained long in their hearts and even after they left Thetis Island, they came back year after year in other volunteer roles – from workcrew bosses, to prayer partners, to honourary grandparents at Family Camp in later years.

Living on the coast, Malcolm’s love for the sea and working with his hands led naturally to more boatbuilding. He used his woodworking skills to help build the S.A.L.T.S. schooner Pacific Swift at Expo ‘86 and then expanded his boatbuilding skills learning at the Whaler Bay Boatyard on Galiano Island as they built replicas of the ship’s boats used by Captain George Vancouver to chart the BC coast and arranged community activities to follow in the “Wake of the Explorers” in 1992. He also built his own small rowing-sailing boat, which was

dubbed Swallow, after Swallows and Amazons of Arthur Ransome fame. A number of family coastal camping adventures were had in these years with their own Swallow and Amazon (one of the old sailing dories retired from Pioneer Pacific), accompanied by their golden retiever, Kaylee.

As the children grew older, Silvia became more involved outside the home, first at the children’s school as an on-site volunteer, in the lunchroom and on the playground, among other things. Eventually she went back to nursing part-time, studying first to do her nursing refresher and then later taking a gerontology course as she moved into care for the aging. Her mix of compassion and practical capability was a natural combination for nursing, though in later years she mourned the change of nursing’s “good old-fashioned bed-side care” into a more technical focus. In 1996, Silvia decided to retire from nursing and invest her nursing energies in supporting her mother and sister in their health journies. After Malcolm retired from his job in 1997, he actually continued working as an Educational Psychologist part time with the Richmond School Board for a few more years, including travelling annually with a team to work in Nisga’a.

Never at a loss for something to be involved in, Malcolm and Silvia continued to be involved in their church and neighbourhood communities. Malcolm and Silvia both walked to the Fraser River park almost daily for decades. Malcolm’s love of fitness also included a stair-climbing routine of 400 stairs a day, which he continued well into his 80’s. Malcolm’s garden “down by the railway tracks” was legendary

– he gave away zucchinis and New Zealand pumpkins every year and the rest found their way into homemade soups and dinners that were shared with openhearted generosity to friends in the church and neighbourhood. Annual blackberrying expeditions resulted in jam for the winter and given as gifts. Silvia’s interest in nutritional health in the context of addressing food sensitivities led her to experiment with many different eating styles and recipes over the years and to support others who faced similar challenges. Malcolm and Silvia’s home was opened to many for meals and warm fellowship around their dining room table. Many travellers coming though Vancouver found a warm welcome and a tasty meal in their home, or a picnic brought down to the Fraser River or Spanish Banks. Over the years, the number of family around the table increased to include four grandchildren – Lukas (2006), Emmet (2009), Danai (2011) and Hugh (2020). Malcolm and Silvia loved spending time with their grandsons whenever they could – despite limitations of distance and recently, the pandemic. Their generous circle of love included nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and their children and grandchildren as well. In addition to their open home, phone calls and conversations kept them connected with many dear ones across the miles to different provinces and countries – especially their family and friends in BC, Alberta, Ontario, New Zealand, England and Thailand. Malcolm’s and Silvia’s lives were rooted in their faith, and filled by God’s love, which overflowed generously to those around them – they lived “together in God’s love.”

THROUGH THE VEIL “They’re gone” said the child forlornly, standing by the edge of the grave.

“They’re not gone,” replied the Gardener.

“They are alive with me in the Garden of Life, on the other side of the veil.”

The child looked up and saw a diaphenous veil, suspended beyond the grave.

“Look through the veil,” said the Gardener.

“What do you see?”

The child peered through the veil.

“I can see the outlines of trees,” said the child, “but I can’t see the details.”

“When you look through the veil,” said the Gardener, “you only see the outlines of things – enough to know that they are there.

The details you will see when you follow.”

“When I follow?” asked the child.

“Yes,” said the Gardener.

“When you follow through the veil, you will see everything in all its glory.”

The Gardener held out his hand to the child and said, “The way through the veil is open, when the time comes.”

Turning away from the grave, the child grasped the Gardener’s hand.

And the child’s heart filled with peace.