Olga Marshal took care of the flower gardens along Gerritsen Avenue in and around many of the bus stops.

Hello,

My aunt, Olga Marshall, passed away yesterday after a 18 month courageous and aggressive battle with brain cancer. Optimistic in the face of a great and deadly adversity, Olga fought back with alternative treatments and refused to give up hope to the end. During her last 18 months, she lived to see the birth and first year of her twin grandchildren, watch her oldest grandson attend kindergarten, celebrate her brother’s 65th birthday party, gather with relatives and friends at one of her favorite events, the Peddler’s Village Apple Festival, and preside over the making of another batch of homemade perogie for our family’s Russian Christmas celebration. All the while, she fought back and continued therapy to try and regain some of the lost mobility her brain surgery had left her with. And all the while, she remained as caring and giving to others as she had been her whole life – providing an eager ear to listen to the life stories of complete strangers, mixing up batches of homemade remedies for every type of ailment anyone had under the sun, and espousing the virtues and miracles of Elderberry to all who would listen.

She had an amazing support system; her husband John, who cared for her many months at home; son Gregory who became the foremost expert in brain cancer and all possible alternative treatments, questioned and challenged all health care professionals to make sure she was receiving the best care possible and was relentless in keeping her spirits and hopes up; daughter Karin who handled many difficult logistics of care and finances and whose family provided her with the blessing of little childrens’ pureness of heart and ignorance of all other difficult adult things; her friend and caretaker Franca who was like an angel sent to watch over her and care for her, and her brother John and sister-in-law Lilette who supplied her with her favorite foods, caring conversation and enduring love.

Olga was a fixture of Gerritsen Beach – any who have lived here knew her, if not by name, by sight, seeing her plant gardens around the bus shelters or taking in lost animals as her own (even those most wouldn’t touch such as hedgehogs and possums). She worked with GB Cares to better the neighborhood. And she was so creative. She had a shop on Gerritsen Avenue right next to Big Al’s and Leo’s back in the day, and it showcased her amazing talent in creating beautiful things – baskets and soaps and candles and wreaths…it made you smile just to walk in.

Aunt Olga enjoyed life like few of us seem to have the time to do these days – she enjoyed little moments, drank in details, savored foods as if every meal was the first thing she had ever eaten. When she graced you with her conversation, she made you feel like you were a hero, the most amazing person alive no matter what task you did however small. “Wooooww, that’s incredible, no really, there are not many people out there like that – I could never do what you did,” would be the general jist of the conversation. And though that may sound exaggerated, she delivered that with the utmost sincerity and belief that you really were that marvelous, until you walked away realizing she made you feel that way for something like dropping off a neighbor’s mail or something.

My aunt loved this neighborhood, the people in it, the stories they had. She was eccentric and quirky, generous and loving, interesting and one-of-a-kind. There will never be another like her.

I’d like to make a suggestion that the gardens along Gerritsen Beach be named after her with a plaque or some type of tribute. And I ask you to pass this on to any who might have known her.

Thank you,
Lori Smerechniak Woodcock
formerly of Gerritsen Avenue, Brooklyn, NY