Eva Preiner – Oma – passed away at Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. Survived by her daughter Yvette Smith (Arnold) and grandchildren Lucas and Liam. Predeceased by her mother Julia Štosek, adopted brother Joe Simcovič and Uncle Robert Štosek. Survived by her cousins Kristina Štosek and Robert Štosek Jr. and their families.
By request cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held around her favourite holiday and place: December 27, 2023 at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.
Born in 1938, in what was then Czechoslovakia, she grew up quickly. Shaped by the challenges of wartime, she then spent her young adult life navigating the changing political landscape of eastern Europe. In 1963 Eva fled to Vienna with her mother and brother, on the pretense of a New Year’s Eve celebration, and left Communism behind. It was terrifying and not how she imagined it would be. She held Canada as her beacon and eventually followed her family here in 1969; briefly to Woodstock and London, Ontario, before settling in Vancouver, BC.
Eva came to Canada with only the clothes she wore, and a suitcase filled with necessities for her infant daughter – a single mother in the late ‘60s. She spoke no English. She began her career here working in print shops, taking on extra assignments that she would finish late into the night at home. She garnered recognition for her capabilities and work ethic, leading to an opportunity to work in her studied field with Westcoast Energy. She never looked back, building a 40-year career in a male-dominated profession mapping, drafting, and protecting the integrity of most every natural gas pipeline in BC. She only fully retired, well into her 70’s, when new company ownership eventually shut down its Vancouver office.
Her compassion was most evident when it came to animals, particularly felines. They would find their way to her – whether in Vancouver’s downtown high rises or in the east Vancouver neighbourhood that became home for over thirty years. Eva was good at rescues, be they animals or people, particularly at times of need or illness.
Fiercely independent, she lived life on her own terms, with exacting standards until the very end. It is those standards that left an indelible mark on her legacy at Westcoast Energy, the numerous and stunning knitted or sewn pieces she created, and the near-perfect home and garden she tended to for years. With a titanic strength of character, Eva was tough. Her family, friends, colleagues, and all who knew her, will feel her absence. She was, and will continue to be, a force in our lives and will not soon be forgotten.
Our deep and heartfelt thanks go out to our dear friend Lyn Nacpil, and to the nurses and doctors at VGH for their compassion and attention not only to her care, but also in their support of her family.
Anyone wishing to celebrate Eva’s life on December 27th, please contact [email protected]. If you wish to honour her memory, please donate to your charity of choice.
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