Ausma KAKTINS

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KAKTINS: Ausma Kaktins May 4, 1931-December 22, 2019. Life started on an island in Riga, Latvia with her brothers, Alfreds and Visvaldis-Vally and her parents Krisjanis and Marta Spricenieks. After WWII, they landed in a DP camp in Hanau, Germany, where she married Gunars. In 1949, barely 18, pregnant and unsure of the future, Ausma came to Canada to work the sugar beet farms at Homewood, MB. The family eventually moved to Winnipeg. She always contributed to the family income by cooking and cleaning houses or as a cashier or retail sales while she raised her children Sylvia-Linda, Gunars (aka “Sony”) until his death at 13, and Kenneth (Jennifer). There were amazing times with the Vacietis, Burka and Cerins clans, both in Winnipeg and out at Red Rock Lake. Ausma was the unofficial hostess of Slater Street, whether a simple Tupperware party (some of you are smiling at the word simple) or her great Christmas and New Year Eve parties. She was the consummate hostess lavishing everyone with her amazing cooking her fish balls, sauerkraut, tortes, trifles, piragi and more. She was active in the Latvian community singing in the choir, working in Folklorama’s Latvian Pavilion, and the Latvian Society and Church. Ausma was the anchor and the financial wizard of her family. Let it never be said that Ausma paid full price for anything. She believed in giving back and volunteered for the Craft Guild, senior homes, a diabetes/heart and stroke canvasser, good neighbours (Bronx location), and in her final years a welcomed addition to the Erickson, MB volunteer community. She was the “Social Butterfly” of the Kaktins family and showed great kindness to her friends, which were many. She was a creative person sang Silent Night like no other and left behind many works of art for us to cherish along her scarfs, hats and the sought after dish cloths. Ausma was a gracious, thoughtful, caring and strong. Her battles with breast and pancreatic cancer showed her true character and she passed away with family by her side. She was a beloved grandma to Krisjanis, Tyler (Julie), Kyle and Natasha always there. She was Oma to her great-grandchildren Soleil and Mila. While predeceased by her parents, her brother Visvaldis-Vally, her son Sony and her husband Gunars she was loved and will be missed by many. A memorial service to be held on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 2:00 pm Erickson Lutheran Church, Erickson, MB. The family wish to thank everyone at Brandon Cancer Care, The Erickson Palliative Care Volunteers, and all the staff at Erickson Prairie Mountain Personal Care Home for all the love and care they gave in her final days. In lieu of flowers please donate to Cancer Care Manitoba.

As published in Brandon Sun on Jan 04, 2020