HILJA EKBERG (Auväärt) Passed away peacefully in her 88th year on Sunday, December 4, 2016. Beloved wife of the late Alvar Ekberg. Devoted mother of Michael and Marianne (Peter) and cherished grandmother of Kristina (John), Lenny and Austin. Hilja will also be remembered by her many relatives and friends in Estonia, Sweden and across Canada.
Hilja was born on the island on Saaremaa in Estonia and was the youngest child of Mihkel and Pauline Auväärt (Meri). She is predeceased by her brother Voldemar. At the age of 14, during WWII, Hilja and her parents made the difficult decision to leave their homeland and her brother (who was forced to fight in the Soviet army). Her family fled to the safety of neutral Sweden in a small motor boat, across the stormy waters of the Baltic Sea. In Sweden, Hilja met her soul mate and they married in 1950. The couple moved to Canada in 1951 and started raising a family in Toronto. Hilja was a Supervisor at Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, her employer for 34 years. In retirement, Hilja was more busy than ever, as she made herself available daily to assist others who needed help running errands, going to doctor’s appointments or buying groceries etc. Hilja was a truly caring, giving person who will be sorely missed by anyone who knew her.
Special thanks to all the nurses of 4 East Margaret Birch Wing at Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital for the compassionate care Hilja received during her final days.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to Parkinson Canada http://www.parkinson.ca