GRETA “MARLENE” TITON

The infamous Mrs “T”, teacher, educator, artist, real estate agent, author, missionary, baker extraordinaire and proprietress of Mrs. T’s Tart N Treats, was born on Jan. 27, 1939, in Hespler Ontario.
She was the eldest daughter of Florence Gertrude Caskenette (née Hockley), who passed in 2000, and Englebert Caskenette, who passed in 1964.
Marlene spent her childhood years in Preston, Ontario, and her teenage years in Kincardine. She attended Teachers College in Stratford, which started a 22-year sojourn as a gifted elementary school teacher. Marlene taught art for many of those years in Acton, where she took summer courses in animation at Sheridan College and also honed her own gifted art skills at the Ontario College of Art. Marlene was well-respected in her field and was asked to be part of the Halton County Board of Education writing team which developed curriculum for the art department to be used in the Halton County Board’s Public Elementary School system. The last five years of her teaching career was teaching Kindergarten, which brought her much joy.
Following her successful teaching career, Marlene moved back to Kincardine, where she became active in the community and embarked on another 22-year, equally successful career as a realtor. Marlene was a well-liked and prolific agent who worked a lot with first-time home buyers to help get them their first homes. Her black Lincoln Towncar, sporting the C Mrs T license plate, was regularly seen roaming areas of the town and countryside around Kincardine.
Retirement led her to another passion as the proprietress of Mrs. T’s Tart N Treats – a baking business she ran from her home, providing delicious baked goods. This enabled Marlene to rekindle her artistic side. Marlene joyfully crafted a plethora of beautiful and savoury sweet baking creations to a host of salivating and grateful clientele. It was well-known that visitors, friends and family never left her home without taking a “little something” of baking home with them.
As Marlene entered into her second retirement, she created her own cookbook- compiled with love and laced with family history and stories of living in this area. This cookbook is a culmination of tried and true heritage and heirloom recipes that both graced our table at home and found their way into the hands of admirers. This way people could still enjoy her baking … but they would have to make it themselves. Always the teacher.
Marlene married Pierino Titon (who passed in 2001) of Sudbury. Together they had one daughter, Adele Florentina Mitchinson (née Titon) whom Marlene lived with in Kincardine. Though married only a short time, Marlene and Pete always remained valued, much loved and respected friends. Marlene welcomed Pete’s daughters – Angela Pharand (née Titon) and her husband Michael, and Olivia Mensour (née Titon) and her husband David and their families as her own.
Marlene returned Home to be with God on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Marlene was laid to rest on Monday, June 14, 2021 in the Kincardine Cemetery, the town she loved and served.
I (Marlene’s loving daughter, Adele) want to give thanks and honour those many wonderful caring and loving doctors, nurses, ambulance attendants and BandAid 1 personnel who serve in our community in all three hospitals where Marlene received care. These compassionate people treated Mom with dignity, respect, skill and dedication. I am so very grateful.
Donations to the Anglican Church of the Messiah in Kincardine or the CNIB Guide Dog Program of Canada (cnib.ca) would be a way to honour Marlene’s legacy.