My mum just told me tonight about Enas' passing. What a time you all have been through with these losses.  I remember Enas as a graceful, strong yet kind-hearted woman. May her wonderful qualities and the fond memories, as well as your strength as a family carry you all through your grief and sadness.

Patrick Thrift

Enas Giovanna Negrin
The passing of Enas has been extremely sad for all of her family, yet this is the proudest day of our lives to be able to honor a Mother, Grandmother and friend who truly loved life.  Enas devoted her life to her husband Reno, her five children and eight grandchildren. She was the family matriarch; her house was the heart and soul of our family and the heart and soul of many of our friends. When the world started spinning out of control, we all knew where to go, Mom’s House. Mom’s house was like any other house, but once you walked through her front door all the troubles we faced in life went away.  As mom passed into her final days, I was compelled to take the time to reflect and understand why Enas’s was such a beautiful person and her home was one of the most secure and calming places for family and friends.
Her Life
Enas was born in March 30th 1930. Her parents were two Italian immigrants, Florindo and Alba Caverzan. Enas spent her early childhood growing up in Anniox, a small mining town up the North Coast of British Columbia. Her life was not extravagant by any means and spent much of her time moving from school to school. She studied and became a nurse and then met Reno, through a family connection and married in 1954. Oh how life changed for Enas Negrin….her husband started his own firm and in true Italian fashion conceived five children before you could blink an eye and all living in a 900 sq ft house on Knight Street Road. 
Reno’s firm flourished and he picked the family up and moved to West Vancouver. Reno purchased the family home in 1962, an architectural modern home designed by Ron Thom. As beautiful as the home was with its creative design, it would have just been another home without the love and care of my mom. Her home was open to all and it remained that way for the rest of her life.
 Mom’s first priority was to find out where the Church was and if there was a private catholic school. The church is the one we are sitting in today and the school was St Anthony’s. …I still remember our first Sunday mass in West Vancouver….Mom got up early and dressed us boys in our grey shorts, white shirts, black shoes and one pound of brillo grease in our hair…..The girls were in their little pink dresses and pink shoes with white leotards……mom was so proud….this was her moment to shine.
Reno’s job entailed more travelling and mom organized the house and daily activities of her children. A solid foundation of Catholicism, working hard and treating others with the utmost respect were most important to mom….step out of line and you would get a wooden clog in the back of the head and she was good from 30 ft.
As time passed on and we entered our teens, Enas took on another role of travelling with Reno for his overseas work. Trips to Italy, Paris, Hawaii and Japan with the Keithan’s, Pattison’s, Graeme and Patty Macleod fuelled her desire to see the world………..Introductions into new cultures, arts and theatre, including a few martini’s at four, were completely new for a small town girl, but Enas stepped into this role with ease and confidence, yet never sacrificed her love for family, friends and religion.
Next in line for Enas was the era of the Bar Q Guest Ranch, located in Ashcroft BC. Reno was smart…he would have to work and then meet us there, so Enas would pack up the family in her Impala station wagon, wood side paneling and a 454 cubic inch motor. She would organize all five of us kids and a couple of Linda’s friends, Wendy McLeod and Joan Field……..Linda was in her moody broody years of 15  to 17 and needed her friends with her. Mom would take that tank packed with suitcases and kids and head up the Fraser Canyon with Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash and Gordon Lightfoot blaring with the state of the art eight track and four speakers….it was the classic Griswald Family, here we come. Getting there was always an event….once we arrived it was another story…Linda, Wendy and Joanie would jump out of the car run to their room, put on their bikini’s and you would think head to the pool, but no… straight to the corral and the wranglers…I would cringe…Richard in true Richard fashion would only say “Beautiful” …..John would say what’s up and Sandra would hide under the bed. Mom in her typical classic fashion would turn to the girls and say…girls don’t you thinks you should put on some clothes.  Mom loved the ranch and it was a place where the family has many fond memories
Throughout the 80’s and 90’s Enas decided to go back to nursing as her children had either moved out or were attending University back east. Enas once again went back to helping those in need with the same care and love she forwarded to her own family.  She was extremely proud of her work.  She had also become a Grandmother and every weekend Reno and Enas would take the grandchildren to play at their house or to a movie and lunch.
Sadness knocked on Enas’s door in June of 1997 as Reno passed away suddenly from a heart attack. I could see the loss in my mother’s eyes. She loved Reno and an image that has always remained with me over the years was that every morning no matter what had happened the day before….good or bad my dad would give my mom a kiss goodbye at the front door, a small gesture, but one that always ensured all us kids of their love for one another.
In true motherly fashion, Enas took control of the family and guided us children through a very difficult time. Her family was number one and her strong conviction of her religious beliefs softened the loss of her husband. 
The arrival of more grandchildren brought great joy to Enas for many more years to follow. All of the Grandchildren always wanted to go to nanas house ….how they loved her and loved her Sunday night dinners. The sparkle in nanas eyes were prevalent every time there was a knock on her door and one of her grandchildren showed up. Tennis also became a mainstay in her life as she loved getting together with her tennis buddies, Eileen, Meredith, Luciano and Nonnie.  A good visit with her longtime friend Utta Fischer was always a high priority on her list and once again the travel bug hit Enas, including trips to Europe and Eastern Canada with her dear friend Joan Derry.
Tragedy knocked on mom’s door one more time with the sudden passing of my brother Richard in September 2009. I could feel the pain and sadness in her heart and soul for months to come. It is true that a mother never gets over the loss of a child. Enas struggled, but once again her strong religious beliefs guided her through these difficult times.
It was March of 2010, when I received a call from my sister Linda, that my mom had cancer and that it was quite advanced. We were all devastated, how could this happen to such a lovely women. I went to see my mom the next morning and before I could even say anything, she apologized for having to put us children through another family crisis. Her concern was with her children, not herself and she did not venture from this throughout her pain and suffering. As my good friend Chief Gibby Jacobs stated “mothers give so much and ask so little when raising their children” 
It was the Saturday before my mom’s passing and Vikor Mark Haggerman made a visit to her house.  Linda, John Sandra and I attended and I could tell Mom was not well but in true Enas fashion she sat up on the end of the couch and asked that we all prayed together. I was overwhelmed watching this fragile woman praying with such conviction…..she did not miss a beat. It was the first time I realized she was preparing herself to pass from this world and my heart was filled with sorrow and anger. My prayers were selfishly asking the Lord to allow my mom to heal and spend more time with her family on earth. It was not until I awoke late that night that I realized my mom was preparing us for her imminent departure.  Her prayers were not for her, they were for us four children asking God to help us through this difficult time and to thank God for the wonderful time we had together on this Earth.
Rather than looking through my eyes, I finally had the opportunity to look at the world through my mothers eyes and understand the impact she had on those all around her. For those of you here today that were blessed with the friendship of my mother and had the opportunity to see the world through her eyes you fully understand whom my mother was:
She was a woman of:
Elegance
Beauty
Compassion
Dignity
Conviction
Strength
Caring
Passionate love of her Family and friends 
Unquestionable devotion to God
Her greatest gift to her Children and family came during the last days of her time on this earth.  Once again she taught us that a strong religious foundation gives you the strength to love .The time and love given from Enas Giovanna Negrins heart to her family and friends, is the foundation and investment that will be returned for eternities.
We love you mom and will miss you

Dear Linda, David, John, Sandy, and Sybil (and your families)   

I haven't seen most of you for years, but I have had many wonderful visits with your Mom during the past couple of years when I made frequent visits home to my Dad when he was ill.  Every time Mum and I went to Mass I had the privilege of coffee after Mass with Enas and Mary.  I would get caught up on what all of you were doing, hear about new additions to the family, and just basically enjoy an always pleasant and joyful time with them.  It was such a nice way to reconnect with your family after so many years of living so far away.  Your Mom has always been such a warm and elegant woman -- I think we were all lucky to know her.  I know I was.  I wish you all well, even though it's hard right now.  Take care and know that lots of love and prayers are with you.

Enas had a great sense of family and devoted her life and efforts to raising her children, supporting my father and building a home. Recalling my childhood memories, Enas created a home as a refuge from the day-to-day mayhem. Looking back at those early days, it truly was Life-mimicking-art.
Enas and my dad did not have any real hobbies. It was not until my older years that I realized that their hobby was their family and it wasn’t until later that I realized that my mother’s true past time was her grandchildren.
No matter what Enas was doing, tennis three days a week, serving St. Anthony’s Church, canvassing for the heart and stroke foundation, Art’s club theatre events, the Opera, she never had to schedule time with her grandchildren.
Whether it was helping Michaela with a school course, babysitting Sean, helping Kaylen with sewing assignments, or Sasha with home Ec., or driving to their houses to babysit, there was never a problem making time in her life to fit it all in.
There was my mom’s kitchen. A place where the magic of my mom’s extravagances took place with no main courses or desserts too opulent. These usually unfolded with a phone call in the late afternoon, followed by a simple home cooked meal of soup, followed by pasta, with salad, then chicken, roasted vegetables and then a simple dessert of strawberry shortcake, cookies and baked squares. No big deal, she did have 2 to 3 hours notice? There were the incredible events of feeding my nephew Johnny when he would drop by after school or evening. I never knew a stove could put out that much food in one sitting. 
Later when I had three girls of my own over four years, it was my mother who was there to help out as we juggled the feeding times, sleep schedules and breaks  so that my wife and I could attempt to lead a normal life. I don’t think I will ever forget the look on her face when she picked up our kids so that Natasha and I could attend a morning bootcamp workout. Heading out the door I asked her if she wanted me to show her how to burp the baby?! One of those defining moments when you realize what you have said just as the last word rolls from your mouth. I didn’t wait around for the verbal response. 
In my mom’s last year, she had the unfortunate event of having me and my family move in to the house right next door. To further seal her fate, Kevin and I skilfully constructed an opening between the two properties so that access would be unfettered. 
My three girls loved their Nana completely and would ask to go to her house each and every morning. Later when they figured out the path between the two houses, they would make their way over on their own. They then quickly figured out that they did not need mom or dad’s permission to go to Nana’s and that “Nana World” was in fact a real place. 
Being bad parents, we would often ‘lose’ a child now and again, knowing without panic that they were in the safe haven of “Nana World”. We would wander over to retrieve one of the wayward girls, finding them on the couch with Nana reading a book, playing toys or creating more work helping Nana with one of her daily chores. They quickly came to know that whole house at  Nana’s and wandered throughout the entire household and property with greater comfort than the house we lived in. 
Later, after the passing of my brother Richard, Enas would arrange special dinner dates with the girls, where she would have an afternoon of play, followed by a special private dinner with just her and one of my girls. We thought that it was to give Natasha and me a break, but really it was for her.
Looking back now, as I watched with envy as my girls gravitated to Nana’s, it was then that I realized that it was in fact Art-mimicking-life and it was Nana’s life as a place of refuge from the day-to-day trials of our lives.
Mom, we will miss you dearly and we love you with all of our hearts.

I have so many fond memories of my sister Enas whom I considered the best sister in the whole world and an angel on earth.
She was the refined sister, I was the wild sister.
She would tell me of the times I would embarrass her in church as I never kept still and would be talking out loud during the service, and of the time I tore the head off her beloved Shirley Temple doll.
When Enas graduated from school, I was only in grade three; she then worked one year for BC Electric and on to Nursing school at St. Paul’s for three years.
I remember her bringing Caroline and other girlfriends home during those 3 years of nursing school and me being a real pest wanting to be in the same room with them listening to their adult conversation. She would let me sit with them for a while and then she would say it was time to go. My job was to always dry the dishes but when she had her girlfriends over, I would try to get out of it, but it never worked. 
Enas always said she wanted a big family and she did. Their house on Knight Road was such a happy home, full of children’s laughter.
Enas always had so much energy, she would walk down to Nonna’s house to visit with the buggy full of kids, rain or shine even before the kids went to school and then when the kids started school, she would walk them down to school every day which was just down the road form us. 
Enas and Reno moved into their home in West Vancouver 45 years ago, with Nonna moving in with them. What a happy, busy home that was, full of the noises of Linda, Richard, David, John and Sandy’s friends. At dinner time I think there were always extra places set at the table for friends. Enas and Nonna were both wonderful cooks and there was always plenty of food. 
I met Brian in the summer of 1962 and had my first date with him in September. I can remember bringing Brian up to meet Enas, Reno and family and saying to Enas that I really like Brian but that he was so shy and quiet and that I didn’t now whether to keep dating him. She sure set me straight and told me what a great buy she thought he was and she was sure right. I had 24 years of a wonderful marriage with Brian. Brian loved to visit the Negrin’s. During the summer, Mark, Leslie and I would get on the bus to West Vancouver and up to the Negrin’s for a day which they just loved and Brian would come up after work for supper and we would go home having had a wonderful day.  I also have fond memories of many birthday celebrations.
Enas was always so supportive. Brian died in 1988 in Calgary and I moved back home in June of 1990. I rented a condo in Woodcroft in June but stayed with Enas until September. In May of 1991, I bought a condo in my same building which was only a 7 minute drive from Enas’. I travelled that route from my condo to Enas’ hundreds of times. I would drop in for coffee, had so many Sunday dinners, lots of walks on the seawall, watching videos, going to Symphonies, movies, sitting together at mass and visiting relatives, and a 16 day tour of Turkey. 
I remember when  I applied for a job with the school board in 1995, I wasn’t sure if I could pass the exam, but being Enas, she said of course you can Mary and I did. She had a gift of making you feel good about yourself. She touched so many lives during her 80 years, always having a smile on her face and she approached life with a strength and unending love. 
I will miss you my dear sister and friend. 
May you enjoy the joy and peace of heaven.

Our deepest condolences. We are so sorry to hear of your loss. Your mother was a very special lady.

David. My sincere condolences to you and your entire family. I was a very lucky young man to have known your mother.  As you are well aware, she treated me like another son for many years. The Hobbs' will have you and your family in our thoughts and prayers.

David and Family.  We are so sorry to hear the news of the recent passing of your brother Richard, and now, your mother..Our deepest sympathy-the Tyson's and Roger's families.

I am deeply saddened to hear of your mother's passing.  My love and thoughts go out to all of you.  May you find comfort in all of the fond memories you have of her.  Love Cathy

We were so sorry to hear about Enas while we were in San Francisco.  We are truly sad for the whole family.  You are such a loving family that you will be able to share all your great memories together.  Our love goes out to each of you.  Lea and Al

Eeny will be truly missed by her family, friends and all who knew her. Her kindness and generosity, as well as her spirit of love and laughter, will be long remembered. She always made me feel welcome in her home, and was always delighted to share a kitchen secret or favourite recipe (think walnut squares). I will miss her warmth and laughter. To her family I wish you love and comfort in this difficult time.

Jean and I were sad to hear of Enas' passing. There are no words that I can say that will help ease the pain of your loss but hopefully the great memories I have of your mother will help a little. Your mother was a special lady and I will always have a special place for her in my heart. Enas was always so excited to hear from us and was always interested in what we were doing and wanted to hear stories of us living in the north. She always made us feel special and welcome. I will miss the excitement in your mothers voice on the few occasions when I would call and come for a visit.

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

    My thoughts and prayers our with all the family at this sad time.
 Enas was a very kind ,caring and beautiful lady. One in a million. 
 I will never forget the wonderful times I've spent with her and the family.
                            
                               Love,  Louise Chernoff

My aunt was a truly amazing lady!  She was a kind, loving lady and had a presence about her that just made you want to be around her .  The door was always open to her home and you could just drop by on a moments notice!  I have such fond memories of aunt and will hold them near and dear to my heart!  She will be truly missed but I know she is in a great place now.  We'll see you again someday Auntie Enas!  Love and Miss You!

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Thinking of you at this sad time and extending our deepest sympathy and condolences.

We are thinking of you all at this difficult time.  aunty enas was such a beautiful, warm and happy person.  she  had a way of making all of those she knew feel special. i have wonderful memories of our west vancouver sleep over's when we were kid's!  Her nursing skills were tested a time or two! Her home was always a fun place to be!  I am thankful for the fond memories i will always have of her and she will be missed.

Extending a deep heartfelt sympathy to you and your families on the loss of Mother ( Grandmother , friend )May your memories bring you comfort in this diffcult time .
Mary ( Bettiol ) DiCesare

What a wonderful friend. We are all the poorer for her passing.
  Nonny McDonald

Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.  Our deepest sympathy to all the close families.  
Dino and Lina Zanatta

We are saddened by Enas' passing.
We remember her as a kind, welcoming, loving mother and grandmother.
We were blessed to have known her and share your sorrow and loss. Our condolences to all your family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you
uncle Jim, Maureen

Hello - so sorry to hear of Enas' passing. We worked at St. Vincent's Hospital at the same time in the 80's. She was always a pleasure to work with, and the patients really appreciated her kind and excellent care.
Your family should also know how often she spoke proudly of her children's accomplishments - I felt as if I knew some of you!
My condolences - Christine Barker

Lenora has said it all so eloquently.  Your mom was a very special lady, a true friend to everyone.  She was supportive and caring and we will all miss her.  Our love to all of you.

My condolences to the Negrin and Caversan family for the passing of your mother and grandmother..  I have always known her as a graceful, kind, beautiful person and this is a huge loss for all of you.  I last spoke to her at Christmas time last year when I called to ask her for her recipe for pineapple squares.  It is good that her suffering is over but this world will miss this great lady.  Dina Kerr (Negrin).

Our love and thoughts go to all of you. Aunty Enas was such a special person always so cheerful, full of life, her love for her family was so strong, her home open to all. We will always remember the wonderful days we spent with her in our younger years and as we grew older she always shared her happiness for all that we were accomplishing. Truly she was a woman with great strength we will miss her.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Mrs. Enas Giovanna Caverzan Negrin

30 mars 1930 – 6 juin 2010

Hollyburn Funeral Home

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