A beautiful, kind, elegant and fun-loving soul has left our presence here on earth and made it that much less bright for the rest of us. Eleonora Kalnins (née Chromow), age 81, passed away peacefully Saturday, December 8, 2018 at Crossroads Inlet Hospice in Port Moody after fighting cancer with both dignity and grace. Eleonora was born to Georg Trampnau and Dagmar Dorn in Charkov, Ukraine in June 1937, where she spent her early years. Her father was separated and taken from the family during World War II; thus Eleonora and Dagmar moved to Munich, Germany in 1941 along with her mother’s sister Adele and her son Lenny. Dagmar remarried Johannes Chromow and the family emigrated to Canada, first arriving in Alberta before eventually settling in Burnaby, BC, the city in which Eleonora resided for the duration of her life. Eleonora attended both Gilmore Avenue School and Burnaby North High School prior to moving into the workforce. She had a successful career as a secretary and parts planner, working for several large companies, notably General Electric, Kenworth and Paccar Parts.
Eleonora was graceful, classy and elegantly composed. At 16 years old she met a delightfully charming and handsome 21 year old fellow named Aivars Kalnins. Being one to live life to her fullest and seize every moment (and also to keep his interest), she told him she was 18 years old! (Yes, of course she eventually revealed her true age to him.) Her initial instincts that he was “the one” proved right - Aivars and Eleonora wedded happily in March 1959. In time they were proud to have two sons, Richard and Eric, into whom she poured her heart and soul, passing onto them her kind and gentle spirit, her confidence, sense of humour and quick wit, and especially her love for dogs. Through the years Aivars and Eleonora shared together, they created many memorable moments with their sons, extended family and friends. This March they would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
Eleonora had a passion for life, making the most of all her experiences. She enjoyed a taste of the finer things in life just as equally as she loved baking simple treats that she could share and serve. She travelled the occasional trip, attended the symphony, frequented Christmas craft fairs, and tried to attend all the world figure skating competitions that came to town. She could comment on any figure skating event like a professional analyst. More than anything, she truly appreciated being in the company of people. She tirelessly nurtured her relationships, creating many lifelong friendships as a result. She enjoyed visits and outings with family or friends, or surprising loved ones with thoughtful gestures or gifts. She always had time to pick up the phone to say hello and see how things were going. Those who knew Eleonora were captivated by her generous welcoming nature, her gift of conversation and her wonderful sense of humour.
She joined the local Red Hat Society for women, where she befriended even more people with whom she could socialize. She greatly looked forward to her monthly opportunity to dress up for lunch and wear one of her many red hats and red lipstick.
She had a great compassion for animals. In fact, they just seemed to find her! Among her pets were stray cats Nosy and Rebel that became permanent residents, and dogs Rodney and Oliver; all lived long healthy lives under her loving care. Perhaps her most unusual stray was a seagull she named Ludwig, who for years perched upon the garage roof daily, awaiting his guaranteed handout. Eleonora never turned down a request to care for family members’ or other people’s dogs when asked, and she would spoil her pet guests rotten. The family always joked that all creatures knew the place to go to get in their extra cuddles or food.
Eleonora is survived by her loving husband Aivars; her son Richard, his partner Marjory and her 4 children Claire, Rebecca, Tessa and Mason; her son Eric, wife Linda, and their daughter and her granddaughter Ella Grace; her beloved niece Sabrina Elkington and her family; her cousins Leonard Galushko (Ella) of Connecticut and Tony Awtonomow (Sheryl) of Florida; and several more extended family and friends who are deeply saddened by this loss. She will be greatly missed and forever loved by all.
Friends and family are invited for a visitation Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at Forest Lawn Chapel 3789 Royal Oak Avenue, Burnaby from 7pm-9pm. Funeral service to be held Wednesday, December 19, 2018 at 12:30pm at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church 701 6th Street, New Westminster, followed by a 2:30pm burial and 3pm reception at Forest Lawn Cemetery and Chapel.
To honour the brightness of Eleonora’s spirit and her joie de vivre, guests are invited to add or wear colour in their attire. In lieu of flowers, donations to the BC Cancer Agency, BC SPCA or the Erika Legacy Foundation would be sincerely appreciated.
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