Obituary for Maiga Sketris
Maiga Sketris passed away peacefully on January 25, 2020 at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home, Halifax. Maiga, the daughter of the late Lote and Janis Jente, was born in Latvia on April 19, 1925. She was the beloved wife of Karl (deceased), loving mother of Paul (Petra Laube) and Ingrid (Michael Poulton) and proud grandmother to Alex Poulton and Anton Sketris. She trained as a nurse in England after having been part of the UK European Voluntary Workers program doing hospital domestic work. She moved to Canada to marry Karl. She and Karl spent most of their life in Sarnia, where Karl was a chemist at Dow Chemical and where they raised their children. They enjoyed golf, cross country skiing, and travel especially after Karl’s retirement and were active in the local Latvian community. Maiga enjoyed sewing, gardening, baking (known for her Christmas pudding) and especially hosting family reunions. She was a lifelong bridge player, playing with her Sarnia bridge partners for over 50 years. Twelve years after her husband’s death she moved to Halifax to be closer to her daughter.
She is also survived and will be missed by her nieces and nephews Elmars Lasis, Anita Lasis, Rita Nycz and Juris Jente and their families, as well as many relatives in Latvia and friends across Canada.
Her family would like to thank the staff and health care professionals at the Halifax Infirmary, Northwood, Maplestone and St Vincent’s who took care of her with compassion in the last years of her life. We especially appreciated the staff and residents of 5th floor St. Vincent’s who were her companions during the last months of her life. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service celebrating Maiga’s life will take place in Halifax and an internment in Sarnia at a later date. Online condolences can be made at https://www.rawalker.ca/.
In lieu of flowers, if desired, donations in Maiga’s memory can be made to a charity of choice, the refugee fund of the Halifax Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/24104 or “SACTervete”, the care home for children and seniors in Tervete Latvia, c/o the Northern Birch Credit Union, gaide@kredsab.ca
4 Credit Union Dr., North York ON M4A 2N8.
She is also survived and will be missed by her nieces and nephews Elmars Lasis, Anita Lasis, Rita Nycz and Juris Jente and their families, as well as many relatives in Latvia and friends across Canada.
Her family would like to thank the staff and health care professionals at the Halifax Infirmary, Northwood, Maplestone and St Vincent’s who took care of her with compassion in the last years of her life. We especially appreciated the staff and residents of 5th floor St. Vincent’s who were her companions during the last months of her life. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service celebrating Maiga’s life will take place in Halifax and an internment in Sarnia at a later date. Online condolences can be made at https://www.rawalker.ca/.
In lieu of flowers, if desired, donations in Maiga’s memory can be made to a charity of choice, the refugee fund of the Halifax Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/24104 or “SACTervete”, the care home for children and seniors in Tervete Latvia, c/o the Northern Birch Credit Union, gaide@kredsab.ca
4 Credit Union Dr., North York ON M4A 2N8.