Olga Lillie Randa

Predeceased by her Parents, sisters Hilia Wood & Ellen Hintze.

She is survived by Hilia’s children Randall Wood and Brian Wood in Saskatchewan, Brenda Randa and Norma (Trevor) Sunderbruch in British Columbia and Ellen’s daughter Linda (Don) Brown and daughter Christine Thompson (Graham Kalbfleisch) and their children Hayley and Ryan Kalbfleisch, all of Calgary, Alberta .

In addition to her nieces and nephews she will be fondly remembered by her friends Hanneh Kozak and her daughter Paula Godin (Lillie's goddaughter), Christi O'Brien, Marjorie Mason and Mary & Austin Campbell.

She was the middle child of three born on a homestead near Dunkirk, SK to Arthur and Aina Randa who had emigrated from Finland to the US, then to Canada. She attended high school in Moose Jaw, SK by boarding with a number of families and stayed there to attend Normal School obtaining her permanent teacher's certificate. She started teaching at age 19 for three years in three one-room country schools in rural Saskatchewan where her duties included janitorial work and sometimes cutting wood for the stove. She also had to be in early to start the fire so the children could be warm. Friendships begun there continued for years.

She joined the RCAF in May 1943, trained in Rockcliffe, ON and then was stationed in Trenton, ON, doing accounting. She was discharged in January 1946 after assisting with discharges for airmen. Lillie contributed recollections of being in the RCAF during WW2 to the Memory Project. She enjoyed playing pool with her ex-service friends for many years.

She then took a hairdressing course and then worked in Toronto for many years doing bookkeeping/accounting for various firms and moved to Vancouver in 1956. There she helped take care of her parents in Haney, while continuing to work. One company was Timber Preservers and another Saba Bros until 1964. She then started her own Family Clothing store (Lillie Randa Shoppe) which she had for 10 years and then moved it to Westbank where she had it for 3 years. She moved back to the coast in 1980. She worked until her retirement at age 66 from Rogers Cablevision in Port Coquitlam, and in 1995 she moved to Kelowna.

She had a full life travelling to Ottawa and New Brunswick to visit friends. She attended the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976. She made numerous trips to many places including Florida, The Barbados and England and later on to Cuba and Mexico five times where she took items to give to an orphan's home there. The highlight of her travels was to Finland in 1983 to see relatives she had never met; and then continued to correspond with some of them. This started her making her Family Tree.

Lillie was a most kind and generous lady with a beautiful creative soul. She was a good listener and provided us with many words of wisdom that she shared in her poetry and writings. Throughout the years she wrote poems and submitted them to newspapers and the internet. She was a member of the International Society of Poets who published many of her poems (copies in Library of Congress). She wrote many stories, some of which were published in Saskatchewan History & Folklore magazine (www.shfa.ca) and in Senior Magazine. She also enjoyed doing oil and pastel paintings for friends.

In 2008 she wrote the book "Every Life has a Story" that begins with her early schooldays and tells about the many people she met on her journey through life and the friends she made. In 2008 she also published "Memories and Musings" that, after years of writing verse and painting pictures mostly for friends, she brought together in one format. In 2016 she edited stories given her, titled "Early Immigrants & Their Stories" and donated the profits to the Ukraine Orphans Fund.

She embodied that Finnish characteristic of SISU with inner strength and tenacity until her final days. She spent this pandemic year in her suite, alone on her 100th birthday on July 19, 2020. She was very pleased to receive the Queen’s and Governor General’s congratulatory messages for this milestone.

Lillie took some University courses in her later years, and she helped with the Salvation Army Kettles every year until she was 96.

In the year 2000, she published the book “Poems by Lillie" through the encouragement of several friends. One of the poems is included here.

THE MIRROR

The mirror reflecting back to me,

Always shows the one who holds the key,

To just how I choose to live my life,

Yet is my conscience when I need it.

For though I’ve chosen what I can be,

It is by my deeds you’ll surely see,

That true honesty will be my guide,

While my heart does try to understand,

That I should not judge, but just forgive,

If others differ from how I live,

For each by example earns respect.

So the reflection from that mirror,

Must approve the road I now will wend,

Hoping it’s the right one to life’s end.

O. Lillie Randa

At the request of Lillie, no service will be held and she will be laid to rest at the Maple Ridge Cemetery in Maple Ridge BC alongside her parents and her sister Ellen.

In lieu of flowers donations to the Kelowna Salvation Army, 1480 Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 5V5 would be appreciated or via the web site www.kelownasalvationarmy.ca

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.firstmemorialfuneralkelowna.com

Arrangements entrusted with First Memorial Funeral Services, Kelowna, BC 250-762-2299