Erna was born February 16, 1922 in Leipzig, Bessarabia, Romania. Erna immigrated to Canada when she was only 5 years old, making the long boat ride to Halifax. From there the family settled on a farm in Hanna, Alberta where times were hard, having them live in a granary for the first year. Erna started her lifelong career as a telephone operator at Alberta Government Telephones in High River eventually moving to Calgary where she worked for the Canadian Pacific Palliser Hotel. It’s here where she met Joseph Kovacs and not long afterwards at the age of 48 the couple married. It was a short marriage though as Joseph died in a car accident 10 years later. She eventually retired at the age of 65 from the switchboard at the Foothills Medical Centre.
Erna spent her senior years babysitting for various families. She loved children and often took them out on adventures throughout the city.
Erna’s greatest love was her God and she experienced His handiworks through her love of hiking in the mountains. She hiked from 1969 until she was 82 years of age where she last hiked her favourite trail, the Opabin Plateau at Lake O’Hara, BC.
Erna will be greatly missed, but is now at home with her family and Heavenly Father.
She is survived by her sister Ruth (Keith) Metcalfe; her nieces and nephews Jim (Donna) Stankevich, Dave (Sue) Stankevich, Linda (Charles) Russell, Phyllis (Ken) Gillies, Les Loney - Victoria Hill, Barney (Cathy) Cox, Kevin (Melody) Metcalfe and Kendra (Randall) Zamrykut. She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph Kovacs; her parents John and Christine Martin; her brothers William (Bill) Martin and Henry; and her sisters Emma, Hilda, Odelia (Tillie) Stankevich, Ella (Len) Loney, Ruby Cox and Edna (John) Bell; as well as nieces and nephews Mabel Johnson, Vivian Elliott, Doug Hill, Gordon Bell, Cyndy Bell and Laurie Bell.
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