Lena Slang

SLANG: Lena. It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our extraordinary Mother Lena Slang (nee Rudolf )on February 7, 2021. At the age of 91 Mom passed away peacefully at Kelowna General Hospital with her family by her side.

Predeceased by the love of her life, Rolf (1923-2004), Lena is survived by her daughter Gale (Tom) and two brothers Gary and Hans (Laura).

Mom has gone to join her family who went before her including her beloved parents Mabel and Herman Rudolf, her stepfather Ingmund Johnson, brother Charley and sisters Lillyan, Laura and Olga. She will be forever missed by her sisters Liz and Ingrid, her brother Albert, her 6 grandchildren Shauntel, Danielle, Tommy, Lucas, Corbin, Shelby. Remembering her are family in Canada and Norway and lifelong friends in the Yukon, BC and Costa Rica.

Lena was born on the Nisutlin River, seventy miles from Teslin,Yukon on May 24,1929. She grew up in the home cabin and later lived in Atlin, Teslin, Gladys lake and Whitehorse. After finishing school , Mom worked for many years in a grocery store in Atlin and eventually opened up her own cafe called “Lena’s Place”.

Mom had the most beautiful soul. You just couldn’t help but love her. Dad came to the Yukon from Norway in 1954 in search of gold. Instead he found Lena, his greatest treasure who had a true heart of gold. Mom and Dad were married on December 15, 1961 at Teslin Anglican Church. They lived the first years of their married life in Atlin and then Whitehorse where they owned a gas station and tire shop. Twin babies Gale and Gary were born in 1962. Two years later they were blessed with another son, Hans. In 1965, Rolf and Lena moved the family to Teslin, where Dad built the Yukon Motel. Together they operated the motel with rooms, restaurant, cocktail lounge, gift shop and a gas station for 7 years. It was here that Lena became known all along the Alaska Highway for her delicious homemade pies. She would be awake and baking by 4:30 am to ensure that those fresh pies were out in time for the tourists to enjoy while travelling through Teslin.

Besides taking great pride in being a cook, Lena was a skilled knitter, oil painter and cake decorator. She won several cake decorating contests and sold a number of her paintings of the Northern landscapes and wildlife. Her character traits such as patience , selflessness, generosity and warmth shone through in everything she did.

Dad and Mom enjoyed travelling, camping, fishing and dancing together . They travelled to Norway 7 times and also ventured across Canada and throughout the United States. Hawaii and Reno were among some of their favourite places to visit. No matter where they went together they were always seen smiling and holding hands.

Rolf and Lena sold the motel in 1973, retired and moved our family to Kelowna. Three years later Dad decided to take us on an adventure. He bought a motor home and drove our family south to Costa Rica where we lived for three wonderful years. In 1979 we moved back to Kelowna and lived in the Okanagan Mission area until 1997. Mom and Dad bought a condominium downtown where they lived together for 7 years until Dad passed away at the age of 80. For the next 14 years Mom lived alone, however she was always surrounded by family and friends. A few times each year she would venture down to Vancouver to stay for extended visits with Gale and Gary. In 2016 Lena moved into a seniors home where she lived for the next three years. After an unfortunate fall, Mom was moved into Cottonwoods Care Centre and remained there for the past two years.

Her amazing life should be celebrated and remembered as one filled with love and compassion. Lena was a remarkable woman. Wherever she went, her kindness left an everlasting impression on you. Her faith in God was strong and she always believed in being a good person. It’s truly an honour to call her our Mother.

Our family would like to give our sincere thanks to all the staff at Cottonwoods for all the wonderful care they gave her during the last two years of her life. Thank you also to the special friends who took time over the years to bring her coffee and her favourite donuts. Your thoughtfulness brought the biggest smiles to her sweet face.

If flowers grow in heaven, Lord please pick a bunch for us.

Place them in our Mother’s arms and tell her they’re from us.

Tell her we love her and miss her and when she turns to smile,

Place a kiss on her cheek and hold her for awhile.

We have a Guardian Angel in Heaven, we call her Mom.

Arrangements entrusted with Firs Memorial Funeral Services, Kelowna, BC 250-762-2299