It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Elfriede Maria Erzen. Elfriede was born October 19, 1965, at St Joseph's Hospital in Toronto. She leaves behind her 95yr old mother Hildegard Erzen (an immigrant from Germany), her two sons, Devin and Sebastian and their father Fergal Cairney. Elfriede grew up in Burlington and Sutton, Ontario, the latter being an area in which she developed a special sense of freedom and a close relationship to nature. At 13 she joined a drama class and so began her love of musicals and acting. In High School the most memorable shows she performed in were Godspell, Pippin and L’il Abner amongst others. She attended McMaster University to study Psychology and Drama, and, unable to shake the acting bug, applied to George Brown Theatre School, where she graduated in 1990. She enjoyed 10 years of creative exploration, including writing and acting in hit productions for Toronto’s Theatre Fringe Festival, at the same time waitressing to support herself.
In the early 2000s she switched gears and moved to Ireland to be close to Fergal's family, when her sons Devin (2004) and Sebastian (2006), were born. However, the recession in 2008, steered the family back to Toronto where Elfriede enrolled in school for Medical Administration, beginning a job at Sick Kids Hospital. Adventurous as ever, in 2016 she made an important decision by deciding to pursue a new career in Massage Therapy. The program was intense, but she loved the work and enjoyed a rewarding career as an RMT working at Sutherland Chan and as a self-employed therapist. During this time, Elfriede found a way to express her growing interest and love for spiritual studies. She wrote a book - Guided by Spirit: A Healing Journey Through Breast Cancer and Mediumship (2023/lulu.com). Elfriede was a devoted mother who loved and supported her sons in their sporting activities and in her own words was the “loudest cheering Mom.” She was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2020 and began 8 months of treatment during Covid isolation. This was extremely challenging, but Elfriede’s view was to enjoy life every day and the family shared wonderful times of cottages and laughter for 2 years before the cancer returned. Elfriede’s radiant smile and effervescent emotional nature touched the hearts of everyone she met. She will be greatly missed.
A burial will be held at Pine Hills Cemetery, Scarborough on Friday July 5th 12:30-1pm. Meet in carpark at 12.15. A Celebration of Life will follow in the reception hall from 1-3pm. Flowers to Pine Hills Cemetery and donations to Hennick Bridgepoint Palliative Care Unit.