Visitor is in one of the elevators. Clearly, he’s lost. Nearly every floor button is pushed. A CBC staffer gets on and rides one floor down.

Visitor: How do you get out of this building?
CBC staffer: You can’t.
Visitor: Huh?
(door opens, CBCer walks out saying): It’s how we get funding. We hold visitors for ransom. Have a nice day.”

The visitor doesn’t smile.

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	Behind the Scenes, Fun Stuff	Posted at 5:31 pm (27 Sep 2007)

Marika Jorgensen, a fixture at CBC Vancouver, has lost her year-long battle with cancer,  passing away peacefully in Lions Gate Hospital, North Vancouver this past weekend.

Marika was born in Beirut, Lebanon on May 13, 1948.  Her family ancestry was Armenian and Marika was fluent in that language as well as Arabic, French and English.  She immigrated to Canada in 1970, settling in Montreal where she met Fred Jorgensen.  The couple married in 1974 and on March 16, 1976, Marika gave birth to their first child, Julien Garabet.

In 1977 the family moved to British Columbia where Marika instantly fell in love with the sea and mountains.  That same year, she joined CBC Vancouver staff in the Finance Department, reporting to Vern Thomas and as time passed she became the Travel Clerk and then subsequently worked in Accounts Payable and Petty Cash.  On March 13, 1982, her second child,  Ingrid Helene, was born.

Marika transferred to the Communications Department in 1998, and loved her work at the Reception Desk at the main entry of 700 Hamilton Street where she interacted with both CBC staff and the public.  Her bilingual fluency was an invaluable asset to the position.

For ten years, Marika was President of CUPE O&P and took great pride in her involvement with the Union and its members.

Aside from her work and union responsibilities, Marika was passionate about playing classical music on the piano as well as listening to classical music.  In her lunch hour and sometimes at the end of her working day, she would slip into one of the radio studios to practice piano and for anyone who had the pleasure of hearing her, it was always a treat.  Marika had a talent for flower arranging and her home was almost always filled with flowers in various stages of drying for the artistic arrangements and wreaths that she fashioned for herself and for family and friends.  She loved to cook and making hummus was a special passion.

Marika is survived by her ex-husband Fred Jorgensen, her son Julien and daughter Ingrid, her sisters Arpi, Anita and Aida and their families.  She was 59 years of age.

A Memorial Service for Marika will take place on Wednesday, September 26th beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living (CSL), 1495 West 8th Avenue (Masonic Hall building), Vancouver.  The Masonic Hall does not have its own parking lot, but street parking is plentiful and there is a parking garage nearby. 

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society will be appreciated.

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	Obits	Posted at 4:05 pm (26 Sep 2007)