Died peacefully at Vancouver General Hospital aged 87 after a brief illness.

Survived by son, Frederick; predeceased by husband Lenard in 1996.

Elsie was born at RCH in New Westminster to naturalized Finnish immigrants, the youngest of the five vivacious Ojala girls. Growing up during the Great Depression, she learned the values of hard work and kindness to others.

Elsie worked until she was 80: as a girl, milking the cow Beauty that her parents Selma and Oscar managed to keep hidden in the city, and picking weeds at a local Chinese farm; later working at BC Tel as an operator, then in the meat department at Safeway; managing their business North Bluff Auto Services with husband Len; and finally volunteering for 15 years with the RCMP.

Elsie enjoyed oil painting and loved to golf, scoring two holes-in-one.

The family lived in White Rock from 1958 until Elsie moved to a Vancouver retirement home in 2014.

Many thanks to the caring staff at South Granville Park Lodge, and to the members, staff and volunteers of Surrey RCMP District 5 for helping to make Elsie’s retirement so rewarding.

Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar,
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.