Maatje "Marsha" Blok

Passed away suddenly but peacefully on September 29, 2021 at the Guelph General Hospital at the age of 92. She is survived by her son and daughter Frank and Vivian Blok, grandsons Jaril Blok and his partner Beth Samuels, Rowan and Linden Forster, and great-grandsons Aiden, Rylan and Liam.

Marsha came to Canada with her parents and four of her siblings in 1948 on the first immigrant ship from the Netherlands after WWII. After marrying and having her two children Marsha decided to become a librarian. She went to high school, obtained a BA at the University of Waterloo and a MLS from the University of Western Ontario. She took a position at the University of Waterloo where she was a dedicated and highly professional academic librarian until she retired in 1994 after twenty-five years of service. Marsha was a highly valued member of the Reference and Collections Development Department in the Dana Porter Library where she had been appointed as the Liaison Librarian for the Germanic and Slavic Studies Department. Her linguistic talents were fully employed in her work that involved not only assisting undergraduate and graduate students in that department with their studies but also in developing an extensive collection of books and journals for the Porter Library collection which were relevant to the professors' specialized areas of teaching and research. Marsha was a great enthusiast of the U of Waterloo and was proud to be a member of its staff.

Marsha was never afraid of a challenge and inspired many with her originality, positivity and tenacity. She was a keen traveller and was curious about how history shapes different cultures. At home, she loved to sit in the sunshine and enjoy her garden. She will be long remembered.