Elsie Kuchta Salter

Our mom and gramma, Elsie Kuchta Salter, fell asleep peacefully like a kitten in a Summer’s sunbeam at the ripe old age of 93 after a not so dignified dance with Alzheimer’s. She was the last surviving child of a family that began in 1898 in Poland, with her parents Jan Pawel Kuchta and Katarjna Wasicki who emigrated to Canada in 1927. She is predeceased by her siblings Raymond, Theodore, Isabella and Evelyn. Survived by her children Wendy, Lynn and Tim and prior and current spouses Robert, Mark, Martina, and John. While she had to wait until nearly 70 years of age to have a grandchild, all five arrived in quick succession, Antonia, Charlotte, Michael, Zach, and Trevor. She was a very generous soul, and even in her latter days the nurses at the Berkley Care Centre would describe her as « pleasantly confused ». She was the last of the analogue generation, graciously unable to comprehend a new television, telephone, or even a light switch dimmer! She thwarted two bank robberies in the 1950’s at the Bank of Montreal while living in Quebec and never looked back from her beloved Vancouver after she and her mother took the train from Winnipeg in 1957. As the story goes, upon arriving at Pacific Central Station in March and seeing the park blessed with daffodils and tulips of all colours, her mother called her father and said « put the house up for sale, I’m not doing another prairie winter! » For a kid who was born in abject poverty in north Winnipeg, she became very worldly, visiting more than 100 countries, although it likely felt like many more if you had to sit through those hundreds of carousels of slides taken along the way. She loved her garden, loved taking the bus and chatting up the drivers, complaining about everything (especially technological progress), and voted in every single election—because it matters. It is conceivable that she was single-handedly responsible for keeping the second-hand clothing industry in Vancouver alive throughout the 70’s and 80’s. She leaves a legacy of longevity, and has bequeathed to her children and grandchildren the appreciation of living a life surrounded by minimalism! Happy travels Elf!❤️