Thursday, September 17, 2020
My memory of Eva.
My childhood home is in the countryside in a medium-sized town on Falster, on the same island where Eva was born. When I was baptized in 1959, Eve became my godmother. In the years that followed, Eva traveled the world as a young woman, first to London and later to Toronto in 1962.
As a child, I remember the rare times Eva was at home in Denmark and came to visit. It was a wonderful experience with big smiles, Eva's fantastic positive mood and spark of life.
She always wrote a postcard to me on my birthday and also sent letters and cards from places around the world that she visited. For me, it was a nice breath of fresh air from the world that lay waiting for me to grow up, but it was also an attention that gave me strength and security.
Today, I regret that I did not accept her offer to come to Toronto and live with her for a year when I was a teenager. But I was busy with youth uprisings and rock music back home in Denmark and did not see the possibility of an educational journey as an investment.
Throughout life we saw each other when Eva was in Denmark and from time to time we also called together, she was always curious about what I was doing, it was not always she agreed with my left-wing views on life, but it did not separate us, it was always nice to talk together and be in each other's company.
13 years ago I visited Eva with my family. My wife, Sanne and my children Sissel and Nikolaj had a great week with Eva and Clarke in Toronto, where we saw the city, the Niagara Falls and were out on the island playing tennis. She took my teenage daughter down town and got her nails done. For a brief moment, Eva may have experienced the parental role that she unfortunately never had the opportunity to get herself.
My mother, Else, traveled to Toronto several times and visited Eva. Twice she brought her grandchildren, first Kim and later my Nikolaj.
In recent years, when she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and lost Clarke, I helped her get around Denmark when she was visiting. Problems with her motorik because of the disease meant that I advised her not to drive car, she was obviously unhappy with that, so I promised to drive her around.
I clearly remember the last time she was here. She was very affected by Parkinson's and when I got ready to drive her to the airport, she said goodbye to both of her sisters and we all knew they would not see each other again. Both of her sisters, Edith and Else, had said they had grown too old to travel. It was very moving and sad.
Eva was very lucky. She had many friends throughout her life, including the Danish girls and she always said that she should go out to eat or for an event with some of them.
The last time was difficult. When I called her on the phone, she could not hear what I was saying and I sensed that the situation was really bad. The corona stopped my possibility to visit her. Luckily she had Helene, who has been an invaluable help.
I will remember all the good hours and days we spent together, I will remember the good mood and I will remember her genuine curiosity but also how she could tell with a twinkle in her eye and life in her voice. Eva looked like her mother, Gudrun, she also loved life.
Dear Eva, I love you, you are missed.
Love, Ronnie Bille, Denmark
