When Erna was 2, her family became missionaries in Bololo, DR Congo, among the Dengese people. The family settled in Winnipeg in 1938 and in Yarrow, B.C., in 1943. Erna’s love was music. Piano lessons were followed by years of choral singing. Her first date with Nick was to hear tenor Jussi Björling. Erna worked hard at home. When their daughter died at age 36 from complications of an arteriovenous malformation, it was a difficult time. Erna coped by praying, memorizing Psalms and journaling. Erna and Nick continued to find joy in singing together in choirs. They spent hour in their garden of dogwoods, Japanese maples and magnolias. After Nick’s death, Erna stayed in their Mt. Lehman home for 8 years. She died 2 weeks after a major stroke.
