Elizabeth Nikolai

It’s with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear sister, Elizabeth. Liz was pre-deceased by her biological mom Betty and stepsister Laura, as well as her adoptive parents, Werner (“Vern”) and Hildegard Nikolai of Surrey. She is survived by a son, Troy and daughter Kathleen, as well as brothers Bill (Linda), Terry (Andrea) and Dan (Lynn), nephews Korbin and Austin, niece Shelby and stepsiblings Harry (Victoria), and Charlotte.

Liz joined us in south Vancouver as a delightful and super-cute addition when she was adopted at the age of three. With three boys in the household, we were all wondrous at this smiling new face that lit up our family photos from 1967 on.

The next decade or so was spent attending our neighbourhood schools (Henderson and John Oliver) as well as Bethany Baptist Church, where Liz made lots of friends with her very social and likeable nature.

In 1976, a new stage began in the Nikolai family when a move was made to Port Kells, in Surrey. While most teenagers would find this kind of uprooting traumatic and unsettling, Liz was adept at finding new friends to hang out with and explore all that high school and the semi-rural neighbourhood had to offer. A treasured photo clipping from the Surrey Leader shows Liz being towed around in a horse drawn cart with a couple of friends from the neighbourhood.

As she finished her secondary education, Liz found a calling in helping others. She got a Class 1 BC Driver’s license, received additional training as a Health Care Assistant, and started a career with Fraser Health Authority. She was very proud of the various certifications she managed to acquire … She continued learning late in life, getting her Food Handler Certification in 2016 and an Addiction Recovery and Life Skills Training Program Certificate in 2021.

The latter diploma from the Talitha Koum Society was especially meaningful, in that it reflected her deep interest and desire to assist others who have struggled with addiction problems. Elizabeth faced a years-long fight coming to terms with her own issues and was happy and grateful to be in a position where she could offer her own insight into what it takes to arrive at a good and meaningful place in life. Part of this journey of self-discovery was a connection that Liz made with her indigenous heritage. Her ancestry was of the Lytton band and in 2021 she was given the status alias name, “Owl Fallingstar.” Liz was happy and thankful to have the support of several indigenous Elders as she approached the end of her days.

She was optimistic about life in general and her role in it and delighted in helping others feel good about themselves. Even when faced with a terminal diagnosis, her personality was effusive and encouraging in the face of the existential challenges facing her during her last few months. In spite of her occasional “feistiness” Liz managed to win over hospital staff with her keen desire to advocate for herself and wring the very last drop out of days that she clearly loved living.

She was “the world’s best Auntie” and truly enjoyed being around children. Liz’s extended family included young and old and anyone who was willing to accept her for who she was. It’s with a hole in our hearts that we lay Liz to rest. We will miss her greatly but her effervescent spirit will live on in our memories!

Elizabeth’s urn will be laid to rest in the family plot (beside her adoptive parents Werner and Hildegard and grandmother Emma Jabs) at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, at 11 AM, June 8th, 2024.