Marlene Elizabeth Shirley (Wall) Ongman, a 75-year resident of Prince George, has made major early contributions to the cultural fabric of Prince George.
She is the eldest of three children and was born in Saskatoon in 1933. When she was a baby, her family moved from Saskatoon to the Lower Mainland and 10 years later they moved to Prince George. Her father worked as the branch manager of Heaps Engineering, selling sawmill equipment to the rapidly expanding lumber industry.
Her parents Jack and Madge Wall were well-known business people who owned and operated Jack Wall Machinery and the Elf Shop followed by a successful career in real estate. They were very involved in their community.
Marlene married Leonard Ongman in 1950. Leonard also came from an entrepreneurial and community-minded family who came to Prince George from Manitoba in 1942. Leonard worked in the family business of J.E. Ongman and Sons.
Once married, Leonard and Marlene quickly started their family. They had seven beautiful children; Lee (Joel), Larry (Mary Lou), Lyle (Betty), Leslie (Dave) Brochu, Lance (Corrine), Laird (Nicole) and Lorrelle (Lyn) Hall who in turn gave them 12 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
The young couple first lived at the lumber camp on the North Nechako while Leonard and his brother and other family members built their first home on Ninth Avenue.
In 1968, Marlene fell in love with a heritage house on Tenth Avenue. They moved the family and it remains as the family home today.
Their house was always full of neighbourhood children and their parents. They had an open-door policy; it didn't matter if she had seven children or 20 children for lunch - she was able to handle it. Everyone just knew they were welcome. Marlene said, "When you have that many, what is one more?"
Leonard was a hardworking family man and Marlene was a creative genius with boundless energy who managed the family home and their seven busy children as well as numerous creative pursuits. Along with motherhood, Marlene was a talented artist; she designed floats and she was an art teacher, a play director and a set designer.
By the early 60s, Marlene was well into her abstract and portrait paintings. She painted and created for pleasure and profit, providing sketches and graphic designs for numerous business campaigns.
Marlene's many notable contributions include her work as a play director for the Prince George Players Club. She spent hours designing the settings and costumes for their many productions and was instrumental in the club's success.
She dressed her children in costumes and did the make up for all of her children and the neighborhood kids for their school plays and Halloween events.
At one point in time, Marlene produced and directed a Christmas pantomime of Snow White and the Seven Twerps for the Prince George Players. A local newspaper article reported that "Show producer Marlene Ongman feels surrounded by little people as she copes with seven dwarfs at rehearsals and seven young children at home." She was happy and loved every minute of it. Drama and directing were a few of her favorite things to do yet she never appeared on stage.
Marlene held various jobs once all of her children were in school but nothing compared to the love she had for her painting. Her creative side was her first love and is more of what she is known and loved for.
In 1963, Marlene was commissioned to sketch a portrait of Granny Seymour (Margaret Mary Boucher 1852-1966). Granny Seymour was an esteemed member of the Lheidli T'enneh and was known as the oldest woman in Prince George.
Marlene recalled that when Granny Seymour came to her house for a sitting that she sat so still and barely even blinked an eye as she was sketching her. Granny Seymour was 111 years old at the time. The finished charcoal sketch was hung in a place of prominence in the Prince George Regional Hospital for decades. At one point in time, the portrait was stolen and through a plea to the community it was returned; the portrait is now stored safely in the Prince George archives.
Marlene designed the iconic labels for Ben Ginter's Tartan Brewery. Her designs included the Tartan, the Simon Fraser and the High Life labels. A well-known slogan of the day was "if you are drinking Ben Ginter's beer, you are living the high life."
Another contribution was the evolution of her creation of Mr. P.G. on the Prince George wooden spruce dollar coin depicting Prince George as the White Spruce Capital of the World.
She also modified the design of the old version of the city's crest/logo which used to be mounted on the welcome to Prince George sign at the junction of Highways 16 and 97. The modified medallion is now displayed in the lobby of city hall.
Marlene crafted and oversaw the highly successful campaigns for local businessman and politician Howard Lloyd who served as an alderman, an elected member of the Regional District and then MLA. Howard topped the polls for many years through Marlene's innovative and tenacious strategies.
Over the year,s Marlene hosted many art shows at the Coast Inn of the North and other prominent locations in Prince George. Her paintings and portraits grace the homes of countless businesses and private homes around Prince George.
Marlene continued to paint until her recent move to her new home at Gateway.
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The Forever Young Chorus at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre, under the direction of Janice Taylor are proud to present "Saddles to Steel Rails, Tunes and Tales of the Pioneer Era" on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 - tickets will be available at the door. The address is 1692 Tenth Ave. (between Vancouver and Winnipeg Street). If you have any questions please contact Lisa at 250-561- 9381.
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April birthdays that I know about: Bruna Valentinis Nadalin, Donna Bosnich, Philis Welch, Lorna Dittmar, Patrick Stapleton, Fern Roberts, Judith Elmquist, Lois Boone, Ken Stahl, Lillie (Khin Sein) Sein, Laurie Rustad, Barb Endean, Frank Porter, Patsy Patterson, Joan Millns, Gertrude Lansing, Diane Duperron, Lothar Hirt, Charlie Burkitt, Joyce Burkitt, Shirley Green, Terry Carter, Marion Watt, Shirley Gratton, Hilliard Clare, Daphne Truefitt, Pearl Blood, Allen Soltis, Sharon Hurd, George Kos, Alexis Maikapar, Stan Cook, Joyce Grantham, Avril Barr, Sandy Moseley, Alice Friend, Sharon Talkington, Leona Nyberg, Betty Bekkering, Lynne Boomer, Lorna Cundy, Diane McDonald, Nola Stairs, Spencer Baker, Evette Bouchard, John Norman, Don Vaale, Rosel Vogt, Ginny Parsons, James Barks, Lois Boone, Rosemary Burns, Bill Chappel, Margaret Cosh, Roderick Herd, Harold Hewlett, George Kivi, Ellen Laughery, Grace Spear, Maxine Valpy, Edwina Watt, Ken Yarocki, Fred Penhale, Virginia Parsons, Laura Simpson, Art Carter and last but not least Dorothy Wood just turned 89.
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April Anniversaries: 65 years for Joe and Sophie Chartrand, 60 years for August and Loretta Thibault, 57 years for Mike and Evie Padalec, 55 years for Greg and Alice Friend, 55 years for Joyce and Jim Sweeny, 55 years for Kenneth and Hedwig Toombs, 54 years for Armand and Doreen Denicola, 53 years for Hans and Roberta Johansen, 53 years for Cyril and Irene Fortin, 52 years for Derek and Ester Swanson, 51 years for Cornelius (Corny) and Christa Hughes, 51 years for Kevin and Pearl Blood, 51 years for Lorne and Irene Carbert, 50 years for Pat and Terry Brown and two years for Mike and Helen Green.
