*Please take a moment to view the photos*

Ilga Graudins [nee Kitners] was born on February 27, 1926 in Latvia in the city of Liepāja and later moved to the capital Rīga.
Life was good in the period before the war. Ilga’s cousin recounted a brief anecdote of life during that time. Here is her story:
When Ilga and her cousin were little tots in Latvia, they would visit their grandmother’s farm in the country. One afternoon when everyone was having their afternoon siesta (including the horses), Ilga and her cousin [who of course was the instigator], decided to take the horses for a ride. Since they were so little, they would have to lure the horses into a ditch so they could jump on. The cousin’s horse was very spirited and decided to buck her off! Ilga was so concerned with the resulting gash on her cousin’s head that she decided to smear Vaseline all over her hair and head to try and hide the wound.
They arrived back at the house and as you can imagine, the grandparents were very displeased. The main concern was not the gash, but that the girls disturbed the horses’ afternoon rest!

When the Second World War broke out Ilga and her mother Sofia embarked on a perilous journey to escape from Latvia to England as refugees. It was fraught with much hardship and danger, and their ability to speak several languages, including German, Russian and English helped them to persevere.
After a brief period in England, Ilga and her mother Sofia immigrated to Canada, a common destination, along with the United States, for many Latvian refugees after the war.
When Ilga came to Canada, her new friends wanted to hear all about her childhood. At first, she was reluctant to tell her war stories and escape from Latvia. After continual pleading to tell her stories, Ilga decided to retell her escape and stories about the war.
Her friends did not believe her stories because they were unable to comprehend such hardships and horrors of war. They complimented Ilga on her great story telling skills!

Ilga eventually settled down in Toronto, Ontario where she married a Latvian, Karl Graudins, and raised two sons, Andrew [born in 1962] and Peter [born in 1951 - her son from a previous marriage to John Russell, which was brief and ended in divorce]. Toronto had a thriving Latvian community and Ilga and her family enjoyed close friendships and shared social life with many of the other Latvians who also escaped from Latvia after the war.
The family had many happy years together and enjoyed going to their cottages, the first being at Wasaga Beach, then the second in Prince Edward County at Wellers Bay, which is still in the family.
Ilga loved the cottage life, especially the water, swimming practically every day during the summer season. She was after all a Pisces!
Ilga’s husband Karl passed away February 17, 1985. They were at the Latvian Community Centre in Toronto at the Valentine’s day dance – Karl was dancing with Ilga when he suffered a massive heart attack right on the dance floor.
After Karl’s passing, Ilga spent many happy summers at the cottage with her Latvian neighbours [several Latvian families owned cottages along a stretch of Weller’s Bay so it was a little Latvian enclave] and wintered as a Snowbird in Port St. Lucie, Florida for many years.
Ilga spent the last few years at the McFarland H J Memorial Home for The Aged in Picton, Prince Edward County. The staff there are wonderful and caring. Ilga felt right at home in the Willow Wing.
After a brief illness, Ilga passed away on February 17, the exact same date that her beloved husband, Karl, passed away at that Valentine’s Day Dance in 1985. Ilga’s sons Peter and Andrew have the highest praise and gratitude for the staff at McFarland who made Ilga’s last days restful and comfortable.

Donations made be made to McFarland H J Memorial Home for the Aged at
http://www.thecounty.ca/county-government/departments/hj-mcfarland-memorial-home/about-hj-mcfarland-home/#donation