Obituary of Tiiu N. Lapko

Tiiu N. Lapko July 22,1936 - December 23,2011 Tiiu was born in Estonia and came to Canada as a young girl after WW2. Her wartime experiences affected her deeply. Tiiu did not trudge along doing what other people told her to do. She was not a cog in the wheel, but looked at life, and lived it, on her own terms. Determined and stubborn, she would persevere until she got her way. In an interview with the Brandon Sun in 2005 Tiiu described success as: "Being able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and to manage to be independent. Independence is very dear to my heart."Shy and quiet, with a sense of humour, she was a walker well known in Brandon, a lover of nature and animals, and of her family. Tiiu had a rich private life. She pursued her interests with a passion and volunteered for a number of charitable organizations. She tirelessly served her community and her church. In 2005, she was a recipient of the Mayor's Volunteer Award for Community Service. She was creative and artistic as demonstrated by her intricate needlepoint and knitting. She was liberal in her views and spoke up readily against racism and prejudice. She loved all things Estonian and was very proud of her heritage. She was kind to her niece and nephews and always brought them thoughtful indulgences. Her many blood donations inspired her nephew, Troy, to give blood on a regular basis. She taught her nephew Scott, how to needlepoint and also gave him his first cigarette! Her niece, Rebecca, described her as someone who loved the innocents of the world; she understood children and animals like no other adult. Our gratitude goes out to the staff on the 5th floor at Fairview Home for their care, compassion and kindness to Tiiu in her final years. A special thank you to Marsha Kontzie, who maintained a bedside vigil until Tiiu's family was able to drive across the prairies to say good-bye. She leaves to mourn Alexander, Alexandra, Katrin, Linda, Peter and families. A memorial service will be held in the summer of 2012.