Eunice Uhryn Persson Dika, 1930 – 2017. That dash is a life lived over 87 years. May 27, 1930 to September 20, 2017.

Born on her parents’ homestead, she was the oldest of 7 children, and echoed her mother’s observation that if she had a nickel for every rock picked she would have been rich. Walking across the hills to Silverwood School she loved books, friends, and dances. By the age of 20 she was a wife to Emil Persson and mother of Diane, immersed in gardening, baking bread each week, and participating in Rycroft daily life. If a clean house was next to godliness, she would have been a candidate for sainthood. For a few years, she ran a hairdressing shop from her home, keeping the old hairdryer chair until the end.

When Eunice hit her 40’s she was ready for a change, marrying Matt Dika and spending the next two decades living abroad (US, England, Iran, Iraq, and Dubai). She enjoyed the traveling life of the expatriate community and became proficient at setting up a household in short order. But those Peace River Country roots were deep, and so, after retiring in Calgary for a few years, she and Matt returned to Rycroft.

Eunice loved to crochet and knit, and she rarely met a cookbook she could pass by. She was fond of collecting things with butterflies, viewing them as a symbol of renewal, rebirth and happiness.Eunice is survived by four siblings, one daughter, four step-children, two grandchildren, and four great-granddaughters. Her dash was a long and full life.

A Visitation for family and friends will be held on Sunday, September 24, 2017, from 11:00am-12:00pm at Oliver’s Funeral Home in Grande Prairie (10005 107 Ave.).

May she rest in peace, and light perpetual shine upon her.

Memorial donations may be made to Fairview Long Term Care Residence Council (Bag 2201, 10628 110 St., Fairview, AB, T0H 1L0).