Ernestine (Erna) Lex
Mother, farmer, immigrant, friend. Born on Aug. 26, 1933, in Rosenheim, Germany; died on Sept. 19, 2014, in Alliston, Ont., of a heart attack, aged 81.
Erna Betzl grew up in Bavaria, during desperate times in war-torn Germany. An only child, she spent much of her early school years in bomb shelters. Two years after the war ended, she left her Rosenheim home, at age 14, to apprentice in a butcher's shop in a small town in the Alps.
Working in the same shop was Fritz Lex. The two soon fell in love and began to prepare and plan for a life together. They decided to try their luck in Canada and moved to Toronto in 1956, marrying six months later.
The couple worked long hours in a butcher's shop, initially aiming to save enough money to return to Germany and start their own business. But they never did. Erna fell in love with Canada and they welcomed their first child, Richard, in 1960. Three years later, they opened Erna's Meat and Delicatessen in Downsview, north of Toronto.
In 1971, shortly after daughter Petra was born, Fritz and Erna moved to a farm near Alliston, Ont., where they started a small beef and cash-crop farm. It became their pride and joy. Erna saw to it that the grounds were beautifully landscaped and maintained; visitors would liken it to a stately park. She loved to throw parties and cook for her many friends, who would leave the farmhouse well-fed and with leftovers in hand.
The farm was also home to some hard times, however. For many years, Fritz suffered from a variety of illnesses. But Erna was determined to keep the farm running while raising their children and caring for her husband, who lost both his legs, and ultimately his life, to leukemia. His death in 1982 ended their 25-year marriage. Although she never remarried, Erna found another love in Udo Modl, also a German immigrant farmer. They took care of each other for 25 years until Udo passed away suddenly in 2008.
Erna's homeland remained important to her and she visited Rosenheim often over the years. When she was 55, she discovered that she had half-siblings: Her father had four other children, a secret Erna's mother revealed on her deathbed. As a child, Erna had longed for brothers and sisters and she wasted no time tracking down her new family members, all of whom lived just a few kilometres from where she grew up. For several decades, Erna and her siblings crossed the Atlantic many times to visit each other.
Erna celebrated each and every day. Even after a couple of health scares, she refused to slow down and continued to do what she loved most – taking care of her farm, friends, children and three grandchildren.
She lived life to the fullest until her final day, passing away suddenly during a party at her cherished farm, surrounded by her closest friends.
Nina Lex is Erna's granddaughter.