Elvira Voth

Sunset : November 10 , 2015

VOTH, Elvira

Passed away peacefully at the age of 94 in Toronto.

Predeceased by her husband Jack. Loving Mother of

Linda (Russ(predeceased)) ; Hildie (Tom) ; Nora ;

Peter ; (Denise) ; Becky (Susi) ; David (Anne).

Beloved Oma of Josh (Justine) ; Emma (Folly) ;

Luke (Emily) ; Andrew (Amanda) ; Dylan (predeceased) ;

Meghan (Tobin) ; Jacob (Brittany) ; Curtis.

Proud Great- Grandmother of Tyler ; Caileigh ; Arrianna ;

Nicolas ; Julia ; Ethan ; Leah ; Kate ; Bronwen.

Ellie will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Donations may be made to: www.mcccanada.ca

Ellie Klassen was born in Orloff, Ukraine on February 6, 1921 to parents David and Agneta Klassen. In 1924, along with her parents and younger brother Paul, she emigrated to Canada. She was a bright, outgoing, cheerful child in spite of the conditions the family was enduring in the midst of the Russian revolution and leaving their home. Reportedly on the ship, on the way to England, her parents caught her sitting on a safety net, dangling her feet over the edge of the net, high above the water, giving them quite a scare.

They settled in Markham, Ontario where a sister, Dora was born, and then when land became available they moved on to Manitoba in 1926. She grew up on a farm near Culross. Ellie was a real tomboy. She loved horses and her brother Paul remembers her, hair flying, racing around the yard, pretending she was a horse. In 1932 another sister, Louise joined the family. Ellie diligently helped with the many activities in the home and on the farm, taking over the job of washing floors and often milking the cows.

Ellie’s schooling began in Castleton school in Culross. After taking a correspondence course for Grade 9, she took her Grade 10 at Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna. It was here that she met her future husband Jakob (Jack) Voth and the two fell in love, causing quite a stir in that strict environment where even conversation between boys and girls was frowned upon. She finished high school in Elm Creek, where she did housework to pay for her room and board.

After high school she did housework in various homes in Winnipeg. On May 24, 1942 Ellie was baptized at Springstein Mennonite Church. Ellie and Jack were married in the same church on August 23, 1942. Less than half a year after their wedding Jack was sentenced to six months of hard labour because he was unable to register as a conscientious objector. These were trying times for the young couple as Jack served his time in the Headingly jail and then served in the alternative service.

Their first child, Linda was born in 1943 in Winnipeg. In 1945 the small family moved to Toronto where Hildie (1948) was born. In 1949 they moved back to Winnipeg where Nora (1951) and Peter (1953) were born. From 1956 on they lived in Toronto where their last two children, Becky (1957) and David (1959) were born.

Ellie loved good music. In her youth she used to sing country music, often in duets with her cousin Irma, informally as well as at church functions. She later inspired and supported Jack in his singing career, taking care of the family while he was away for extended periods studying music. Most of those years she was a homemaker, but as the children grew older Ellie got a job as a store clerk to bolster the family income. After a heart attack, Jack died on March 12, 1983. This was a blow to Ellie since they were just moving into a new apartment and were in the state of planning their future years.

As Ellie described part of her life: “Early years in Toronto were tough, with Jack trying to study music and voice, at the same time earning enough as a car salesman to support the family. We still managed to have many wonderful times, and on the whole enjoyed a good life. Building the cottage at Mink Lake allowed us to ‘get away from it all’ although we’d like to be able to be there more often. After Jack’s death, I appreciate my small apartment at the St. Clair O’Connor Mennonite Community.” After retiring at 65, she kept herself busy doing volunteer work (especially at St. Clair O’Connor), enjoying her children, eight grandchildren, and later nine great grandchildren, attending symphonies and other musical events, and participating in her church life.

She enjoyed trips to visit her siblings, nieces and nephews in Winnipeg and Vancouver and spent an extended period of time being with her brother Paul before his death in 1998. She loved being at the cottage with family in the summer and still talked about going up again. 2005 was a difficult year for Ellie as she grieved the loss of her grandson Dylan and her son-in-law Russ.

This past year Ellie went through several transitions. Due to health concerns it became hard for her to manage living alone in her apartment so she moved in February to Oshawa to live with her daughter Becky and her partner Susi, as well as daughter Linda. When a nursing home bed became available at St. O’Connor in July it seemed ‘so right’ for her to return ‘home’ to a community she had lived in for 32 years. She knew a lot of the staff, they loved her and she them. After a fall in August which broke her hip she underwent surgery and came through it remarkably well, but didn’t regain the ability to walk. The family enjoyed many visits with her in the nursing home, sharing recent pictures, reminiscing over old ones and reading to her. Ellie passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 10, 2015