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Edna Konkin passed away serenely at Burns Lake and District Hospital, Burns Lake, B.C., on Friday January 16, 2009. She had been living courageously with leukemia for several years. Born the 20th of December, 1934 in Invermere, B.C., the only child of Jens and Astrid Lautrup, Edna went to Normal School to become a teacher. She worked for a year in Castlegar, B.C. before heading to the beautiful Lakes District of B.C., a place she would embrace as home for the rest of her life. It was there she met the love of her life, William Larion Konkin, who predeceased her in January 1985. She was an exceptionally wonderful mother to Sharon and her husband, Ed Barr of Lethbridge, Alberta, and to Wendy Baker-Konkin of Nelson, B.C. She was an adored and adoring grandmother to Al, Tanya and Kaitlin Barr and Cole, Roxanne and Marina Baker. The importance of family was a top priority for Edna. Her birthday cakes and slumber party pancake breakfasts are legendary. Family gatherings were a source of great delight and she would alternate spending Christmas with her daughters, a time for baking traditional family cookies, creating gingerbread masterpieces, and frequent board games. Summer visits always included picnics to the beaches, jell-o popsicles and backyard croquet. Edna never forgot her Danish heritage. Four of her grandchildren were able to spend a few weeks traveling alone with her to Denmark over the years. She also loved to travel with friends and visited Portugal, Iceland, the Cook Islands, Peru, and the Queen Charlotte Islands on some of these excursions. She enjoyed entertaining and would make a Christmas dinner for 20 with what seemed like no effort at all. She would play scrabble with anyone willing and was happy to win or lose. Edna was a committed volunteer for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She enjoyed gardening and was recognized by the Village of Burns Lake for her flowering yard. When her first grandchild was born she decided to try her hand at quilting and was not finished until every grandchild had 2 quilts created by grandma, the last one with help from a friend.


A Memorial Service was held on the 24th of January, 2009 at St. Paul’s United Church in Burns Lake. Interment of cremated remains will take place at a later date.


In memory of Edna, donations can be made to the Burns Lake and District Health Care Auxiliary or the Canadian Cancer Society.


Mom, we love you, and you know it. Thanks for everything.




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