Elizabeth Sunarich (nee Erbeznik), age 91, of Toronto, Ontario, passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2020 in her home due to complications of advanced dementia, a disease with which she had struggled for over 6 years. Born on July 26th, 1928 in Skopje, Yugoslavia, Elizabeth was, from the age of infancy, raised by her uncle, a Catholic priest, and two aunts in Slovenia, of the former Yugoslavia. Never experiencing family life with her parents and siblings, the disruptions of WWII and the redrawing of borders left her in Gorizia, Italy at the end of the war, where she met and married her devoted husband, Ugljesa (Ugo) Sunarich in 1951. With Europe in ruins, they together embarked on a journey to begin a new life in Canada, settling in Hamilton, Ontario.

A teacher by training, Elizabeth, as a new immigrant with no knowledge of English, began working in a cotton mill, and as her language skills improved, she eventually found better employment in banking as a teller. A quick learner, she took those new skills and turned them into a new career as a self employed bookkeeper for a number of small and medium sized family businesses, which she continued for over 40 years until her retirement. This was well suited to her strongly independent nature.

A true lover of life, Elizabeth was alway ready and able to entertain almost any sized group of guests with her excellent cooking and flare for style. Always the ‘life of the party’, she is remembered by everyone for her loving heart, her amazing cooking, her boundless energy, her incredible work ethic, her vibrant personality and her ever-fashionable appearance.

Elizabeth is deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her devoted husband of 68 years, Ugo, her son Alex, daugher-in-law Nadine, grandchildren Mark and Erica, in-laws Sharon and Martin, as well as her many relatives and friends. We are ever so grateful to the wonderful caregivers who helped Elizabeth through her final years and months; Elena, Beata, Marife, the kind and caring support workers from VHA and of course, Dr. Mark Nowaczynski and his excellent house call team.

A private family-only funeral will be held on Saturday January 18th at the Mount Pleasant Cemetary in Toronto. Donations in honour of Elizabeth’s life should be directed to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.