Edith was born in the Hans Christian Andersen - City of Odense, Denmark.

During a visit to Vancouver in 1950, she met her husband-to-be Sophus Theodor Balslev (Ted).
They married in Denmark in 1954 and emigrated to Vancouver the same year.

In the 1960's, they bought a house on West 14th Avenue with a great view over English Bay. From there , Ted, as an educated landscape gardener, ran Totem Landscaping, while Edith first worked for Bank of Montreal and then with Royal Bank of Canada until retirement .

They never had children but leave behind nieces and nephews in Denmark.

Travelling around the world was a great passion for Edith and Ted, for decades they did not miss any Olympics.

After retirement, Edith volunteered as a Green Coat at the Vancouver Airport on a regular weekly schedule for the past 17 years .