Marena Blumenauer was born in Prince Rupert November 12, 1942, to Spero Postulo and Ruth Hansen Postulo. Spero was the first of his siblings born in Canada and his first language was Greek.
Marena enjoyed spending time with her Greek aunties, where she learned to love Greek food and on occasion, to make her own spanakopita and baklava, completely from scratch. Her mother was born in Rjukan, Norway, immigrating to Canada as a young child. Marena understood Norwegian, although she steadfastly refused to speak it. However, she often knew what everybody would be receiving for Christmas, well before Christmas, when her mom and grandmother would speak Norwegian in front of her.
Although she refused to hang Norwegian flags on her Christmas tree [it is a real thing] she gained an appreciation for Norwegian culture including Norwegian embroidery, baking (especially lefse, pepperkaker and fyrstekake) and Norwegian food including lapskaus and meatballs. It was not Christmas in the house until somebody made lefse.
She caused a family scandal as a teenager when she refused to open her Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and instead waited until Christmas morning. When her siblings followed suit, her aunt was angry and refused to speak to her. Raised in the Lutheran church, Marena also courted scandal by daring to wear lipstick and dance.
Marena had 2 siblings, Danny and Trudy. I think she has forgiven Danny for renting out her record player and records for weeks at a time and for keeping ALL the money he made. I am not certain she has forgiven her sister Trudy for being allowed to “always” have the last piece of dessert. Marena always loved sweets.
She was especially close to her Norwegian grandmother and was known to “shop who was serving the best dinner” before deciding where to eat. She was thrilled when they were making ice-cream sundaes and her grandmother opened a can of fruit cocktail, just so they could put a cherry on top. I don’t think she ever met an ice-cream flavour she didn’t like but maple walnut was her favourite. As a child she played piano and tap danced.
After high school Marena attended UBC completing a certificate in education. She loved her years living in the UBC dorms. She taught elementary school in Powell River and Vancouver.
She was the first in her family to complete a university program.
She was raised above her father’s grocery store and hence began her love of grocery stores. She is the only person we know who wanted to go to the grocery store daily. I am confident she knew every single employee at Save On Foods. She met her husband Don when she was working in her father’s grocery store. He was working in road construction in Prince Rupert and came in daily to buy milk. We do not actually know if he drank all the milk he bought, but eventually, he worked up the courage to ask her out and they were married about a year later.
As a child Marena thought the 2 worst places in the world to live would be Williams Lake and Kamloops. 55 years of her 57 years of marriage were spent living in Williams Lake and Kamloops. She loved living in Williams Lake, where she made lifelong friends including June and Garth, Terry and Maureen, Elsie and Ove and all her bridge friends who she “trumped aces” with. She was sad to leave when Don was transferred to Kamloops in 1989 for their second stint in Kamloops, where she lived the rest of her life.
She worked in the sawmill office at Weyerhaeuser. She was actively involved in several bridge groups and started quilting. She was a member of the Sagebrush Quilt Guild where she made many good friends. It was clear from the size of the fabric stash she left behind that quilting and buying fabric were 2 separate hobbies for her. Her fabric stash was donated and used to make community quilts for local cancer patients. She enjoyed watching Kieren, Hannah and the Mehta children “the children on the other sides of the fence” grow up.
Marena was happily married for 57 years, before being predeceased by her husband Don, who said she “was his whole heart.” They enjoyed trips down the Oregon Coast and to the Wickaninnish Inn. Raised by the ocean, Marena was always happiest near the sea. She enjoyed two Alaskan cruises and driving across Canada when she retired. Family camping trips were enjoyed in her mother’s Winnebago and remain cherished memories for her daughters.
She was an avid gardener, although her strength was buying plants, while her husband Don kept them alive. Their yard and gardens were always beautiful. She loved to read and her daughters were told by Chapters employees she was the most loyal customer they had.
Marena raised 2 daughters, Barb and Allison (Jim). She instilled a love of popcorn, Hawkins Cheezies, Yahtzee, jigsaw puzzles and a bit of sass. She was an immensely proud grandmother
to Eva and Jenna. They meant everything to her. She enjoyed exercising her “grandmother’s prerogative” to provide ice cream refills for her granddaughters, even if mom or auntie said no.
Marena was predeceased by her mother and father, beloved husband Don (2021) and cherished in-laws Henry and Margaret Blumenauer. The last years of her life were dimmed by dementia and a once sharp intellect slowly faded although the love her family has for her has not. She died July 4, 2026, and we hope she is dancing with Don once again.
Family and friends are invited to attend an ice cream social celebration of life, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at Hal Rogers Centre in Albert McGowan Park, 2025 Summit Dr, Kamloops, from noon to
2 pm. Bright colours welcomed and we promise not to tell the minister if you wear lipstick or dance.
Condolences may be sent to the family from
www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com
