On June 6 The Record received a letter from Debra Knowles, former President of Branch 15 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Richmond, which expressed concerns over the recent removal of the Marjorie Lancaster memorial garden. Earlier this week Tammi McGee, Lancaster’s niece, contacted the paper to share her frustration and confusion about the situation and how it has been handled by the local branch. “It makes me upset,” McGee said, sharing that her mother and aunt regularly went to tend the garden and memorial that was created by the Richmond Legion following their sister’s death in 2016. “My mom, especially, and her sister, were extremely upset over the whole idea that the Legion would decide this, and nobody seems to be able to tell us why or how they’re allowed to do it.”
McGee said that more than anything else she feels hurt by the fact that the family heard from Knowles, rather than the current branch executive, and only after the decision had already been made. “They would have done it without telling the family at all if Debbie hadn’t told us,” she said, calling the decision abrupt and rude, particularly given what she said has been great dedication to the Legion on the part of her family over the years. See full story in the Friday, June 14 edition of The Record.
Family and friends of Marjorie Lancaster troubled by memorial removal
By Gordon Lambie
