Obituary of Elsie Verwijk (nee Triska)

Elsie Verwijk (nee Triska) 1930-2025 Elsie passed away suddenly on April 9, 2025 at Hazelton residence in Toronto at the age of 94 after having a wonderful day. Elsie was born in Vegreville, AB, the youngest daughter of eleven to Pauline and Wasyl Triska, originally of Ukraine. Elsie graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1951 in Edmonton and proudly worked in many new and challenging nursing roles, public health and industrial/ occupational health until retirement. She met Fred, her husband of 49 years, at Alberta Hospital when he was a student Nurse and she a Nurse Supervisor. They were married in1956 and had two daughters. Her first job was caring for patients on the Tuberculosis ward which very controversial at the time, much like the beginnings of covid now. Then in 1953, Elsie was the first volunteer nurse to care for patients with Polio, and helped create a treatment program using the iron lung machine. Elsie later worked as a Public Health Nurse in rural northern Alberta. She qualified as one of the first Occupational Health Nurses in Canada in 1982 where she was a Health and Safety Inspector, for the Canadian Federal Department of Justice, in the North-west Territories. She had a plane and pilot at her disposal, and loved flying in to attend to patients in remote areas. Elsie loved life and lived every day fully and will be remembered as an energetic, creative, helpful and generous person. She was a committed and determined mother and wife. She loved socializing, quilting, travelling, and researching family genealogy in her retirement. She is predeceased by her husband and survived by her daughters Alison (Anthony) and Moira, brother Joseph and sisters-in-law Rose and Greta, numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Cremation as taken place. Burial will be at Spas Moskalyk cemetery near Vegreville, AB this summer with a Celebration of Life to follow. Donations in her memory are graciously requested to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village through the Friends of the UCHV (info@fouvs.ca).