Obituary of Vilis Berzins

June 10, 1921 - April 18, 2011

Bill passed away peacefully at his son Nicholas' home in Invermere at the age of 89 after a brave battle with cancer.

Born in Latvia, Bill lived a life dedicated to family and full of adventure. A bright student fluent in many languages, he was destined to become a teacher, but within days of receiving his high school diploma, his life was forever altered by the Nazi occupation of Latvia. Conscripted into the army, he was injured in battle but quickly applied his organizational and linguistic skills as a master with the Latvian railway. After the war, he travelled through Displaced Persons camps in Europe where he faced a choice between joining the French Foreign Legion or starting a new life as a lumberjack in Canada. He chose the latter and as he crossed the Atlantic, he met and soon married his beloved wife of 56 years, Lolita. They promptly set out on their next adventure together, migrated west and settled on a small farm in Surrey, BC. Bill's organizational ability and work ethic earned him a position as a Shipping Manager with the Hudson's Bay Company where he spent 35 years organizing shipments to customers throughout BC and beyond. His sons Billy and Nicholas arrived in 1956 and 1959 - from that point on he dedicated his life to the care and education of his family. Bill became a master of life's simple pleasures - leading the family wilderness camping and fishing at Lake Tisdal, smoke-curing rainbow trout and countless games of scrabble, cribbage, bridge and crossword puzzles. He taught his sons the values of hard work, unselfishness and honour. Lolita went to heaven in September 2005 - Bill now fulfills his last simple wish to join her. He will be dearly missed as a father, grandfather and friend to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Canadian Cancer Society.