April 7, 1939 - April 24, 2020
Elsa Lee Hein passed away peacefully on April 24, 2020. Elsa is survived by her loving husband, Joe Sali, daughters Theresa Grimaldi (Chris), Judy Reid (Don Cinnamon), and predeceased by her son, Tom Reid (2010). Also survived by her step children, Joe Sali, Jeanna Brooke (Cale), and Cheryl Sali. Elsa will be sadly missed by her many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Elsa arrived at 4 am in Santen Latvia on April 7, 1939, the 7th (and only girl) of 10 children born to Martha (Smolne) and Julius Hein.
The family immigrated to Canada aboard the Beaverbrae, landing in St. Johns New Brunswick on March 31, 1951, then travelling by train, arrived in Oliver, British Columbia a week later. Elsa enjoyed her teen years: roller skating in Washington, swimming at Harrison Hot Springs, and jiving with 25-30 of her closest friends.
Her first job was as a telephone operator (think: Lily Tomlin's Ernestine). And over the years, Elsa helped many people through rewarding careers in mental health and addiction, medical health, as well as teaching ESL and literacy.
She proudly graduated from Simon Fraser University in 1995, with a major in psychology and minor in linguistics (yay mom!). Elsa was a founding member of the Shuswap Theater in Salmon Arm and was involved in numerous environmental issues.
A celebration of Elsa's life is being planned for 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded via email to: armstrong@myalternatives.ca