Friday, April 5, 2019
A tribute from Vija's niece Vivien Gauld.
Loved wife of Alfred Ratz (deceased), sister-in-law to Marga Eade (deceased), and loved aunty of Vivien Gauld and Felicity Coutouvidis of Adelaide, South Australia. Loving friend of Marga's husband, Jim Eade.
Vija was an integral part of our wider family circle as my sister and I were growing up. We enjoyed family gatherings at the Elksnis home and on many other occasions at our parent's home at Hove. No birthday parties went by without cards and presents, organised by Vija. After her and Alfred's departure to NZ, Vija kept up regular contact, and this continued through all the years living in Newfoundland and Saskatoon.
For decades Vija thoughtfully sent my mother a special face cleanser that she sourced from Germany. Her kindness extended to the beautiful dogs that were adopted and cared for when no-one else had wanted them. She offered to help a writer translate from Latvian texts, and this lead to her long lasting, close friendship with Jane Evans and husband Tom.
In the past few years we have fond memories of visits to Saskatoon, sharing jokes and reminiscing over dinners with their favourite wines. Vija was an excellent hostess and cook, and her Bombe Alaska was legendary.
We will treasure the memories of our time together. Vija will be forever in our hearts.
