Eoleia Sarah Zapshala

November 6, 1924 – March 23, 2013

“Vie” passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter, Eileen and granddaughter, Amy in the sunny early morning of March 23, 2013. Mom was predeceased by her husband, Leonard in 1976 and never remarried. She had a philosophy on marriage but that’s another story!

Vie was the youngest of 10 children of Anna and Peter Friesen. She was predeceased by all her siblings, Annie, Jake, Kathy, Rose, Pete, Otto, Esther, Luatta and Emily. Her two youngest sisters, Luatta and Emily predeceased her by only a few months.

Vie was “Auntie Vie” to many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews as well as to her friends and neighbours.

Auntie Vie was a true character and a spirit larger than life – it is hard to imagine that she has moved on from this beautiful world and all who loved her.

Born in Morse, Saskatchewan to poor immigrant farmers, she liked to tell us how they moved from town to town on a wagon with a wood stove on the back – she said her mom would make bread in the stove on the wagon and they always had food. As she grew older, she said that she realized they must have been “squatters” and she thought that was very humourous.

She had to go to work at a very early age to help support her mom and dad and make a life for herself and with almost no education she had to take the hard jobs. She worked in a war plant, candled eggs, picked fruit, cooked in a logging camp (where she also made awesome homemade beer) and in a kindergarten and finally for many years before she retired, she managed an apartment building (and the people in it) for Brown Bros. in Victoria.

She was feisty, strong and loyal and gave unqualified love to all she knew (although she often said that she liked animals more than people – and she really did love all animals). She never judged and like one of her friends just said, she didn’t see sin in people, she just saw quirks in human behavior.

Vie’s daughter, Eileen and granddaughter, Amy would like to thank Dr. D. Christopher Morgan for all his wonderful care of mom over the years and for keeping her going for so long. They would also like to thank her friends, family and the media for their comfort and support and for making her life so full.

Auntie Vie loved to cook and feed everyone she could. Perogies, borsht, new years cookies, her special cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies and pickles to name a few favourites. She loved to go dancing and would say how she “liked to really swing it” and talked about how she would lose 5lbs a night on the dance floor! Auntie Vie never stopped learning and would talk to Amy about texting and Skype and putting pictures up on Facebook for her, the changing world never phased her and she took it all in stride. Auntie Vie loved fashion and anything beautiful and sparkly, but also cherished the simple pleasures of life, animals and nature. She loved to go for rides in the countryside and “get lost”.

A Funeral will be held on Tuesday, April 2 at 1:00 pm at McCall’s Downtown, Johnson & Vancouver Streets, in Victoria with viewing and reception starting at 11:30 am. Interment will follow the service at Hatley Memorial Gardens. Auntie Vie requested a big send-off and hopes that her family and friends will join us for a celebration later in the day.  Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Bros. Funeral Home

www.mccallbros.com