MARVIN ADALSTEIN THORSTEINSON

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MARVIN ADALSTEIN THORSTEINSON On a beautiful snowy night, January 17, 2004, at Riverview Health Center, Marvin Thorsteinson crossed the bar into peaceful waters. The family wishes to thank the staff of 2B at Riverview for the kindness and compassion that was shown to Marvin, with special thanks to his primary nurse Eugenia. Thanks must also be extended to Gayle and the many Home Care givers who helped him stay with Frances as long as possible. Marvin was the loving husband and life long companion to Frances (Fanny) for 62 years. Together they had five children who were the recipients of his love, trust and inspiration - an example for their lives. He gave us a belief that anything is possible, that trust is a fulfilment of love, and that gentleness is the true way of life. He was a hero to his children and grandchildren, and his memory will live in the hearts and minds of his wife, Frances; and his children, Tom (Cathy), Joan (Derek), Betsy (Brad), Gloria (Michael), Inga (Ed) and grandchildren, Emily (Timothy), Eric, and Angela (Ryan) and great-grandchildren, Brooklyn and Riley. He is also remembered by his brother Magnus (Vala), and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Sigrun, and his brothers, Rurik, Baldwin, and Stephan. To all who knew him, Marvin was an exceptional man. He was an inventor and an engineer with the soul of an artist - a man who loved working with machines, but who loved life and always showed great compassion and sensitivity to people. He was a man gifted with golden hands and a renaissance mind. Marvin was born in Winnipeg on October 26, 1917, the third child of Kristin and Adalstein Thorsteinson. For Marvin, life was an adventure. As a teenager, he and his brothers rode their bicycles hundreds of miles on day trips to Kenora, Winnipeg Beach, and North Dakota. At the start of the Second World War, he enlisted in the Navy and it was there he received his engineering degree. After working for a variety of companies, he and a partner founded Dominion Armature Works, where he worked the majority of his life. He was instrumental in the development of a new method of manufacturing pre-stressed concrete core floors which is still being used around the world. After leaving Dominion Armature he went on to fulfil his dream of owning and operating an induction heating foundry, Orion Metals. He ended his career travelling the world as a consultant for Spiroll Corporation. Lake Winnipeg was always an important part of his life and in 1967 He and Frances purchased the family cottage on Sunset Boulevard in Victoria Beach. During his transition to retirement, he was able to pursue his passion for rebuilding steel hulled boats. He loved tinkering with their designs and systems. For Marvin, refitting the boats was fun, but rediscovering his inner Icelander in family adventures on Lake Winnipeg was the real pleasure. While not religious in the conventional sense, Marvin was a spiritual man who thought long and hard about the nature of God. He loved to listen to classical music, Bach and Beethoven being two of his favourites. He was fascinated by contemporary theories of physics, including string theory and chaos theory, as well as Gaia, the idea that Earth is a living organism. To Marvin, God had many faces. On Marvins passing, Frances said, Thankfully, his ordeal is over. She was not talking about his life, only the last small part of it. She went on to say, He is finally on his boat to stay. So with love from all of us to you Marvin, Bon Voyage. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to 2B Ward, Riverview Health Centre, 1 Morley Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3L 2P4, or The Winnipeg Humane Society, 5 Kent St., Winnipeg, MB, R2L 1X3, or a charity of your choice. Friends are invited to join the family to celebrate Marvins life from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (service at 2:30 p.m.) on Thursday, February 5, 2004, at Tavern in the Park, 2nd floor, Assiniboine Park Pavilion, Winnipeg. NEIL BARDAL INC. 949-2200

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 31, 2004