Ariadne Oderay Holness de Hiller

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of the inspirational Ariadne Holness de Hiller on March 31st, 2025 at the age of 63 in Prince George, BC surrounded by her loving family.

Ariadne is survived and deeply missed by her husband Bruce Hiller; her children Lucas (Madison), Nicolas (Emily) and Carolina (Ben); grandson Wesley; her two brothers Franco and Frank Holness; her sisters-in-law Christine Hiller, Julie Hiller, and Carolin Hiller; her best friends Manuela Schneider, Angele Appelby, and Carolyn Chrobot; her nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins and chosen family she had loved throughout her life. Ariadne is also survived by her three dogs; Copper, Fulita and Mali.

Predeceased by her parents Oderay Velardes and Frank (El Grillo) Holness; brother Cesar Holness; mother and father in law Bernice and William Hiller.

Ariadne Holness de Hiller was born on June 10th, 1961 in Panama City, Panama. After attending Instituto Episcopal San Cristóbal in Panama, Ariadne’s love for rocks took her to Sofia, Bulgaria in 1984 on a full ride scholarship to study geology at University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski. Upon receiving her MSc. Geological Engineering in 1987, she returned to Panama City and went on to become one of the first female Panamanian geologists. She began her career as a field geologist at Exploraciones Geotecnologicas-Geotec.

In 1992, while on a mutual project, Ariadne met her husband Bruce in Panama City. They got married in Panama City on October 23rd, 1993. Ariadne then moved to Bruce’s hometown of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in 1994.

Ariadne’s early years in Prince George consisted of outdoor adventures with her husband and devotion to her faith which brought her to being an integral part of the Immaculate Conception Parish and school.

Ariadne and Bruce welcomed their first son, Lucas on April 22nd,1995 followed by the twins Carolina and Nicolas on May 7th, 1997. Ariadne devoted her life and time to her family and children.

Ariadne fell in love with Canada and its beautiful nature and acquired her Canadian Citizenship in 1999. This love for nature and the outdoors prompted Ariadne and Bruce to acquire a cabin at Purden Lake. Ariadne curated the cabin and surrounding property with love and care and made it a place for her family to enjoy and feel at home. The cabin provided a magical place where she and her family have spent a lot of their time enjoying the outdoors together and making everlasting memories.

While working in Peru in 1988, Ariadne was watching the Olympics on TV and caught a glimpse of speed skating and immediately thought that one day she would want her future children to pursue the sport. Fast forward to 2001, Ariadne had her children and they began speed skating. Ariadne then began volunteering within the sport and was a pillar of the Prince George Blizzards Speed Skating Club. She volunteered for the next 14 years, till 2015 where she was the meet coordinator for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George.

Ariadne called herself a professional volunteer. Whatever activity her children were in, she made sure to offer up her time to the community as a whole. From volunteering at her children’s schools, Immaculate Conception School and College Heights Secondary School, to their sports events, she was always there to help.

In 2015, once the twins went off to university, Ariadne had a renewed calling to pursue her passion for geology and began working with First Quantum Minerals in Panama. She spent the next five years in Panama, diving into her work and spending quality time with her friends and family. In 2019, Ariadne returned back to Prince George to be closer to her husband and children.

In 2021, Ariadne was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Her positive outlook, devotion to her faith, and strength helped her through each treatment. She became a part of the Wheeling Warriors of the North, an amazing group that rode for the BC Tour de Cure every year. She was also a Patient Partner with the Gynaecological Cancer Initiative through the BC Cancer Foundation.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 10th, 2025 at the Immaculate Conception Church with a reception following. There will be a live stream of the service. The live stream can be found at icparish.ca

In lieu of flowers we kindly ask you to consider a donation to the Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society or BC Cancer Foundation in memory of Ariadne.

Ariadne’s legacy of light, warmth, and kindness will be remembered by all who knew her. Her steadfast love and support for her family and friends made her an integral part of their lives. She will continue to be an inspiration to all to live as she did, with positivity, love, courageousness, ambition and passion.

Finally, we ask that you think of Ariadne the next time you find a cool rock, look up at the night sky, are working in your garden or are dancing away in your home.