A TRIBUTE  TO  MARJE
by
TROY D. DAVIS

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY FIRST--THE AMERICAN CLUB ORIGINATED HERE IN MAY 1974 AND I’M A FOUNDER MEMBER SO, I’VE SEEN IT ALL----ALWAYS SITTING HUMBLY BUT HELPING

MARJE & WILLARD OLSEN ARRIVED HERE INTO FUENGIROLA IN THE MID-LATE 70’s.  ALL OF US WERE MUCH YOUNGER IN THOSE DAYS.  THEY BECAME IMMEDIATE CLUB MEMBERS AND, OVER THE MANY YEARS, ACCEPTED MANY POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY. THEY WERE VERY SOCIABLE AND BECAME VERY CLOSE FRIENDS WITH THE PAPAZIAN’s ,CASEY’s, TOLER’S AND MANY – MANY MORE.  MARJE USED TO BE THE OVERALL CLUB SECRETARY, MAKING THE MONTHLY ENTRIES IN THE “LIBRO DE ACTAS”, AS REQUIRED BY LAW. 

BACK THEN WE HAD A VERY LARGE MEMBERSHIP.  AGE AND THE DECLINE OF THE VALUE OF THE DOLLAR HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL AND WE ARE AT A 10% LEVEL OF THE MAXIMUM YEARS MEMBERSHIP THAT WE ONCE HAD.  BECAUSE OF OUR LARGE MEMBERSHIP AND THE EFFORTS OF MARJE AND WILLARD WITH HIS “EL GORDO”,  WE COULD CONTRIBUTE LARGE SUMS OF CASH TO LOCAL CHARITIES PLUS GOOD PRIZES WERE AWARDED TO WINNING TICKET HOLDERS AT OUR ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DAY DINNER/DANCES AT THE VALPARAISO RESTAURANT UP ON THE MIJAS ROAD.

IN THE 80’S A NEW IDEA POPPED UP CALLED INTERNATIONAL DAY, HELD IN MIJAS IN THE MONTH OF MAY.  MARJE AND HER CREW OF POPCORN MAKERS TOOK CHARGE AND SET UP AND DECORATED OUR BOOTH.  I MADE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE LOCAL COCA-COLA COMPANY TO PROVIDE US WITH ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF BEVERAGES, CUPS, NAPKINS, AND EVERYONE HAD AN ENJOYABLE TIME. 

SOME, BUT NOT ALL OF THE OLD-TIME POPCORN MAKERS WERE-MARJE, JACKIE TOLER, SHIRLEY OLIVER, AURA LOURIDO AND JACKIE DAVIS

RAFAELLE, OWNER OF THE VALPARAISO RERSTAURANT, OPENED HIS ESTABLISHMENT BACK IN THE EARLY 80’S AND MARJE SAW THE VENUE AS AN ADEQUATE PLACE TO ASSEMBLE THE VARIOUS CHAPTERS OF THE AMERICAN CLUB HERE ON THE COAST FOR AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF OUR NATIONAL DAY OF THANKSGIVING.  AS WE ALL KNOW, IT WAS A NUMBER 1 HIT.

WE CANNOT EVEN THINK OF LISTING ALL OF THE CLOSE FRIENDS THAT MARJE HAD, BUT WE CAN LIST A FEW THAT SHE KEPT CLOSE TO HER--THE RICKSECKERS,  MARIELLA PAPAZIAN, RAYMOND CHANTLER, SHIRLEY OLIVER,  THE TEAS, THE BURNS,  RENEE VELTHOEN,  THE MILLERS, DOROTHY KRAVITZ, THE LIST COULD JUST GO ON AND ON. SHE WAS NOT OLD ENOUGH TO DIE, BUT SHE DID.  WE WERE SHOCKED THAT TUESDAY MORNING, AT OUR CHAPTER MEETING, WHEN OUR PRESIDENT, DAVIS KYLEN MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE ASSEMBLED MEMBERSHIP AFTER MAKING THE DISCOVERY ALONG WITH CHUCK DOMINY. 

NOW COMES THE SAD PART WHEN SOMEONE WHO KNEW HER AND DID NOT HEAR OF HER PASSING ASKS YOU---“HOW IS MARJE?”  JUST REPLY, SHE’S GONE----BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN.

WE, THE FMB CHAPTER, ARE SAD, BUT WE ARE GOING FORWARD WITH A HEAVY BURDEN, NOW THAT OUR PILLAR HAS DEPARTED.  THERE WILL BE SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD AHEAD, BUT WE WILL OVERCOME THEM---ALL IN MEMORY OF DEAR MARJE.

WE NEVER KNEW A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE PRIVATE LIFE OF MARJE, AND IT DOESN’T MATTER.  THREE OF HER CHILDREN WERE HERE TO CLEAR UP ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS AND WILL PROBABLY RETURN LATER TO CONTINUE.  THEY DID MEET SOME OF THE FMB MEMBERS.

THINGS WENT SMOOTHLY WITH THE HELP OF THE CONSULAR OFFICE HERE AND THE EMBASSY STAFF IN MADRID.  WE OWE THANKS TO THESE TWO OFFICES FOR CLEARING PATHS AND OPENING DOORS. 

A SPECIAL THANKS TO DAVID KYLEN FOR HIS INTEREST IN BEING THE BUFFER FOR THE FAMILY DURING THEIR VISIT. AND A BELATED SPECIAL THANKS TO THE CONSULAR OFFICE HERE AND IN MADRID.

LET US ALL REMEMBER DEAR MARJE AND HER SEATING PLANS.  AND, AT THE NEXT AGM, WE’LL REMEMBER THAT SHE WAS AT THE PREVIOUS ONE, SMILING AND HAPPY.  AND, THANKS TO ALL THE MANY FRIENDS OF MARJE WHO CAME AND SAID THEIR WORDS OF PRAISE.

A WARM THANK YOU----TROY