Obituary: Marnie van den Bosch

FOR the past year, Marnie van den Bosch had been struggling with a number of medical challenges and her condition deteriorated quickly during the last month.

Marnie’s unconditional love and loyalty, strength of character and high moral standards positively influenced her immediate and extended family, her friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

Marnie van der Merwe was born on Friday, 3 October 1952 in Lion’s River, Natal. She grew up in the Natal Midlands and attended primary school in Howick.

In 1967, the family moved to Pietermaritzburg where she attended Russell High School and the Pietermaritzburg Tech.

At the age of 15, she started working and moved away from home. Early in 1970 she met Rudie van den Bosch. After his customary stint with the South African Defence Force, they were married in 1971 in Ladysmith.

After living in Pietermaritzburg, they moved to Johannesburg in 1975. They missed KZN and in 1979, returned and settled in Athlone Park, Amanzimtoti.

In 1990, Marnie and her family finally came home and became Zululanders when they settled in Richards Bay.

She ably lightened the load of a number of Transnet’s local managers as their Personal Assistant. She interacted professionally as well as socially with national and local members of heavy industry as well as the leaders in the labour movement.

In 2008, the family retired to Pennington, but missed Zululand and their friends. In 2011, they returned and settled in Empangeni.

Marnie volunteered her administration skills to Hospice, in Richards Bay and Pennington.

Marnie will be missed by all whose lives crossed hers. Her legacy lives on in, among others, her husband, Rudie, two sons, Rudi and Dylan and two granddaughters, Siobhan and Charnè.