'Business leader of the year' and former city councillor Marion Bremner dies

Kelowna's 'woman of firsts' -- Marion Bremner -- has passed away of ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Bremner was a business, civic and volunteer fixture in the city for over a half century.

A banker by profession, she was the first woman director of the Kelowna Chamber in 1978, the chamber's first woman president in 1985, the first woman to chair Habitat for Humanity Canada from 1992-96 and was a four-term City of Kelowna councillor.

"Marion was an icon in Kelowna as a volunteer and a woman," said Coun. Charlie Hodge during today's council meeting.

"She was a trendsetter and leader who made things happen."

Hodge remembered when Regatta had come and gone after the riots and there was no summer festival going on in downtown Kelowna.

He worked with Bremner to launch a music festival called Kelowna Pride (before the term was associated with the LGBT community).

Bremner died on March 4, but her passing wasn't announced publicly until today.

She was diagnosed with aggressive ALS in 2022 and fought heroically until the end.

Bremner has donated her brain and spinal cord to ALS research.

"Marion had a 'service heart'," said Coun. Ron Cannan, also at today's city council meeting.

"She paved the way for women in Kelowna. She was always positive and full of energy."

A wife and mother, Bremner was the only the second woman to manage a Royal Bank in the Okanagan and later worked as a realtor and most recently as manager of Meals on Wheels Kelowna.

She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Award for Community Service in 2012.

For her body of work and volunteerism, she was named 'business leader of the year' at the 2022 Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.

"Reading through Marion's accomplishments really puts in perspective how much impact a single individual can have on a community," said Pamela Pearson, who was president of the chamber when Bremner received the 'business leader of the year' trophy.

Bremner blazed the trail, not just for Pearson to become a woman president of the 118-year-old group, but also Cathy Comben in 1996, Lorraine McGrath in 2001, Laura Thurnheer in 2007, Karen Hawes in 2011-12, Carmen Sparg in 2018, Nikki Csek in 2019 and Maryse Harvey currently.

Bremner has a link to a Guinness Book of World Records entry.

She was lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis Clubs of the Okanagan when, on May 5, 2005, the club partnered with Helping Hands Joint Reforestation Project to simultaneously plant the most trees in a single day.

While president of the chamber, Bremner worked with then Premier Bill Bennett, himself a Kelowna boy, to support the at-the-time-controversial Coquihalla Highway.

When Bremner because the first woman director of the chamber, the group had to quickly change the venue of its board meeting because they were being held at the men's-only Kelowna Club.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday at 1 pm at Willow Park Church in Rutland.

Instead of flowers, donations to Kelowna Meals on Wheels, www.mow-online.com, and ALS Society of BC, www.alsbc.ca, are being accepted.

Bremner's obituary page for condolences is at www.springfieldfuneralhome.com/obituaries/bremner-marion.