The threads that create the warp and weft of the fabric of our “Mammina” Elita’s life are those of loving loyalty to her family, a passion for her Latvian culture, a commitment to serving her community, and a bright optimism rooted in the belief that a higher power was guiding and protecting her and those she loved.

Born in Rügen, Germany, on February 8, 1945, Elita’s early life reads like the script of a movie. Her mother, Zina, fled Riga, Latvia, in August 1944 on a ship to Danzig under directives advising all pregnant women to evacuate. She left Elita’s father, Valerijs, behind with the promise that he would soon join them.

Elita came into this world by candlelight during a power outage, as Russian troops were advancing on the island where they were sheltering during World War II. After her birth, she, along with her mother, Zina, older sister, Ilze, grandmother, Emma, and great-aunt, Auguste, moved throughout Germany, finally finding shelter and stability in Kempten. The journey was filled with nail-biting moments and uncertainty but was eased by strokes of good fortune, the helping hands of strangers, and, as my grandmother often noted in her memoir, the grace of God.

After the end of World War II, the Latvian refugee and displaced persons community began to disperse as families found paths to emigrate. Zina applied to Venezuela, Australia, Canada, and the United States but was rejected each time. Without a man at the head of the household, no country wanted to assume the risk of welcoming a single mother with two young children and two older women in tow. Finally, the Lutheran Charities Association found a sponsor willing to support the family.

On December 18, 1949, Elita, and her small family boarded the ship Gen. W. G. Haan to sail to the United States. The journey was arduous, as the ship encountered first a storm and then a hurricane, leaving everyone seasick. My mum could never stand peanut butter afterward, as she always associated it with that voyage. The ship sailed into New York Harbor on December 28. The family was processed at Ellis Island before traveling to Saginaw, Michigan, where they built their life in the United States. Elita’s father, Valerijs, chose to remain in Latvia despite her mother’s efforts to “buy” him out of Soviet Latvia. She met her father for the first time in Riga in 1980.

Elita was an exemplary student, earning top-of-her-class grades. Her older sister often tried to coax her into playing outside or participating in sports, but she much preferred curling up with a good book. Throughout her childhood and youth, Elita was an active member of the Latvian community in Michigan, where she formed lifelong friendships, including the Latvian sorority “Imeria.”

After graduating from Saginaw High School, she attended community college before earning admission to the University of Michigan on scholarships. She graduated with a degree in Geography and German and, after completing her studies in 1967, went on to teach high school.

Her trip to Europe in the summer of 1968 to study German through Stanford University was a pivotal moment in Elita’s life. During that time, she made a pilgrimage to her childhood home in Kempten. It was also that summer, at the International Latvian Youth Congress in Hanover, that she began spending time with her acquaintance, Vilnis Petersons.

Elita and Vilnis Petersons were married on July 5, 1969. Shortly afterward, Elita moved to Toronto, where she built a life not only in the city but also at the family cottage on Mountain Lake, just outside Minden. “Ezermala” brought her joy throughout her life. Countless guests experienced Elita’s warm, generous hospitality and shared in her passion for cottage life, both in summer and winter. Her mornings weren’t complete without a refreshing skinny dip in the lake.

Elita raised three daughters—Ann-Marie, Margita, and Erika—giving each of them “roots and wings” to grow and thrive throughout their childhood and youth, both in school and within the Latvian community. Her open-door policy welcomed her daughters’ friends from near and far throughout her life, often marked by piles of shoes by the door and every corner of the house filled with gaggles of friends staying over. She always kept her four god children close to her heart: Pauls, Emils, Varis, and Ilzite.

Her more than 20 years working in admissions at York University reconnected her with her roots in education. In parallel, she had a long tenure teaching and serving as principal of the Toronto Latvian School. Even after retiring from the school, she continued to apply her pedagogical expertise through the Latvian National Association of Canada in the Education Department and the IKF (Izglītības un Kultūras Fonds), working on teaching materials and advocacy. More than once, members of our family have been approached by people sharing how Elita had influenced or helped them, and how much they loved her.

Elita and Vilnis’s retirements allowed them to realize their dream of traveling to New Zealand and Australia in 2013 to visit Erika and her husband Dainis. Throughout her life, she and Vilnis made trips to Latvia, often with stops in Europe, as well as countless visits to Seattle to spend time with Ann-Marie, her husband Aldis, and granddaughters Lilja and Teika. Elita retired with the hope of living part-time in Latvia with Vilnis, but his death in 2019 thwarted those plans.

She enjoyed the final years of her life in the company of Grietina and Gerard, both in their Cherrystone home and, especially, at the cottage. Her last days were joyful, with friends noting that she was full of energy, joy, and optimism.

Elita had many plans for the future and left this world too soon. Her bright light lives on within us, and her soul now soars in the light—what Latvians call the land beyond the sun.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the LNAK Izglitibas un Kulturas fonds
https://lnak.net/en/organizacija/izglitibas-un-kulturas-fonds/

The funeral service will be livestreamed. Please click on the link above that will appear at 9:30am on Monday, May 4th. The recording will be available to view as of May 6th under the media tab above.