Oct 18, 1938 - Mar 6, 2018
On Tuesday, March 6, 2018, six months to the day after the passing of her husband, our much loved mother and grandmother, Eha (nee Linde) Tjernagel, passed into the loving presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Mom was born October 18, 1938 on the small island of Saarema in Estonia, to Alexander and Efrosinia Linde. As life in war-torn Estonia became intolerable, in 1942 the family escaped in the middle of the night with several others on a small boat to the safe haven of Sweden. In 1950, the family immigrated to Canada and settled in Pitt Meadows and in 1958, Mom graduated from Maple Ridge Secondary.
On April 7, 1961 she married the love of her life, Audun and they soon had their family; Ingrid, Julie and Dennis. Being a godly wife and mother was mom's heart's desire and she embraced every aspect of it. Her love of people and her gift of hospitality were always evident in our home which was constantly filled with the smell of her delicious homemade foods, the clicking of her knitting needles and the sound of laughter and good conversations of countless friends and family.
Although she lived with a physical disability from birth, she never let it stop her from fully embracing life and she faced all challenges by relying on God and applying a healthy dose of Estonian 'stubbornness'. Just like our dad, mom's heart's greatest desire was to live her life as a faithful servant of her Lord and Savior and that is exactly what she did. Her enduring example of generosity, love, compassion and faithfulness will be the legacy that she leaves to all knew and loved her.
Mom is predeceased by her parents, Alexander and Efrosinia (Reinfeldt) Linde and sisters, Linda (Linoo) Linde (1939), Vicky (Vaike) Karlstedt (2008), and brother Harold (Heino) Linde (1982).
She is survived by daughters Ingrid (Terry) Janzen and Julie (Ben) Brandsema, son Dennis (Katherine) Tjernagel and grandchildren, Brandon (Kayla), Torrey, Jenna, Brody, Cassidy, Angelica, Aimee and Marcus.
She also leaves behind her brother, Hillar Linde, her beloved cousins, and many nieces and nephews in Canada and in Norway, who loved their Auntie Eha very much.
A memorial service to remember her life will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Riverside Community Church, 1477 Lougheed Highway, Port Coquitlam.