P-Photographs & Marlene Pean

Marlene Pean lived in Central Point, Oregon, and was a neighbor of June and Clifford Phillips. (Clifford Phillips was the son of Clifford Phillips and Jennie Roberts, who is the daughter of John Richard Roberts and Selina Parker).
Marlene was sorting through the family items and found a Roberts Roots & Branches newsletter. Being a genealogist herself, Marlene emailed and asked if I was interested in copies of the Phillips family pictures.

Of course I was.

Everyday Marlene would scan and email me a handful of pictures along with the family stories and information that June and Clifford had related to her. Marlene also included some handwritten letters and documents.

Shortly after Marlene contacted me, we had decided to move.  I was packing and house hunting and not doing much genealogy, but I was so glad to have the information and pictures she was sending me. Marlene had finished emailing me the photographs just before we moved.  Four months later my husband died. For six years and another move, all that information was packed away in boxes.

In 2010, I pulled out the disc and paper copies Marlene had emailed me. I felt so guilty that her hard work sat in a box for 6 years.

Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

I dug up Marlene’s email address and tried to redeem myself. My email explained my husband’s death and my inattention to the information. I apologized and once again thanked her profusely for her diligence in scanning and emailing me.

The next few days, I poured over the emails and photographs marveling at the information she sent me. I also began adding the photographs to the blog.  A few days later I received an email from Marlene, or rather from her email account. Her husband explained that Marlene had died of breast cancer in 2007.

I closed the email, turned off the computer and spent the day crying.

Marlene's generosity and love of family history motivated her to reach out and preserve some Roberts family history. It was only during a small window of time that allowed her to pass that information to me so it is available to our family.

Marlene Rosenbalm Pean, Central Point, Oregon. 29 March 1932 to 10 September 2007. Marlene, may you rest in peace and a great big THANK YOU!

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