Forget Me Never – Marjorie Yarmer

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Charming, even in a wheelchair, Marjorie Yarmer presented herself as a delightful focus for an assignment for my film directing class at SAU. Marjorie was a talented teacher, and incredibly learned, holding multiple degrees. While suffering from dementia when I met her, she still offered a startling display of vivacity and clarity.

Before I conducted the preliminary interview, my idea was to focus in on a specific aspect of Marjorie’s life – namely, her romantic journey. I always love hearing the older generation wax eloquent about their high school sweetheart or the person they fell in love with and spent decades married to. However, upon talking to Marjorie I discovered that she had never married. Nevertheless, I still found my love story.

This was the story of a mother-daughter bond which was so incredibly strong that they lived together until her mother passed away. By the end of my informal interview, it was clear that I had found the focus of my project. I’m a big fan of Gilmore Girls, but this relationship even rivaled Rory and Lorelei’s. As Marjorie spoke about her mother, I felt deep respect admiration, and heard of a woman who knew how to make sacrifices for the well-being of her children.

Besides being a teacher, Marjorie also had a painting hobby and the portrait of her mother featured in the piece was painted by Marjorie.