Oli was born in Felsenbach, a German colony in what was then the USSR, but is now Ukraine, to Jacob Dyck and his wife Caecilia Kirschner Dyck, six days before the start of WWII. The war ripped her world apart, killing her father, and sending Oli, her mother, and her sisters, Irene and Erika, fleeing across Europe as refugees. In 1948, they arrived in Canada eventually settling in Barrhead, Alberta, where Oli attended high school. That was the end of Oli’s formal education, but she never stopped learning. She read voraciously: from Tolstoy to Margaret Lawrence, Robertson Davies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. She loved opera and theatre, abstract art and modern design, cocktail parties and big family dinners. When she entered Holt Renfrew, all the sales staff stood to attention – though she loved hunting for high fashion bargains at Winners too! And she loved Norman Wolfe Simons. They married on December 31, 1963 and were unbeatable partners in bridge and life ever after. “Olga, moya,” he called her. “Olga, my love.” They raised two children and doted on two grandchildren. Beautiful, witty, elegant, she was a favourite auntie, too. There was no one she couldn’t charm, no one she couldn’t engage in conversation. She was also a trickster, with a talent for making mischief. She was rarely happier than when she was pulling a prank or breaking a rule. Alzheimer’s stole so much from her, but never her family’s love. She lost Norman last September. He’s been waiting for her ever since – as he so often did. We hope she has gone to join him, her parents, and her sister Irene. Her memory will forever be a blessing to her sister Erika, her daughter Paula, son-in-law David and granddaughter Celia, and her son Michael, daughter-in-law Tamra, and grandson Jacob, as well as her many cousins, nieces and nephews in Canada and Germany. Many thanks to the staff at Canterbury Lane for their loving care, and to the team at UAH 3F4.
Due to Covid-19, a private graveside service will be held. If you’d like to honour Oli, please make a donation in her name to the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, which does so much to help others who are new to Canada
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Oli Simons 2020..
Décès pour la Ville: Edmonton, Province: Alberta