Õie Riis (nee Kiil). Sept 14 1926 – Feb 16 2025
Õie (Kiil) Riis died peacefully of old age on Feb 16 2025. Õie was born and raised on the island of Saaremaa, in Estonia. In 1944, at the age of 18, Õie’s family undertook a dangerous journey to Sweden across the Baltic Sea in a small boat, with little more than the clothes on their backs. Changing political winds then pushed Õie to leave Sweden in 1948, when she traveled to Buenos Aires to join friends and build her skills by apprenticing as a tailor. By the mid-1950s, Õie reunited with her family who had by then arrived in Toronto, Canada.
An avid reader, a skilled cook and baker, Õie was always a popular invitee to events, in the hopes that she might bring some of her pirukad, soola kala or sai along. In addition to family, Õie enjoyed her garden, and had a lively circle of friends in the Estonian community in Toronto, and in Collingwood, where the family has enjoyed a summer cottage since the early 1960s.
Õie lived independently for most of 95 years. But more recently, her mobility and memory declined and, she moved to Bayhaven Care Community in Collingwood. We cannot be more grateful for the incredible care Õie received in this last phase of her life.
Õie was predeceased by her parents, Edmund and Leena Kiil, her siblings Kalju and Lehte, her husband Lembit and their son Simmu. Her surviving children, Toomas (Laura) and Viivi (Ain) and grandchild Adam (Jordana) and great grandchildren Sadie and Jacob will miss Õie’s unwavering love and support. Her surviving younger brother Ain David Kiil and family will all miss Õie as well. It was a life well lived and she will be sorely missed. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to The Estonian Foundation of Canada or to Bayhaven Care Community (Residents' Council).