Obituary of Eva Pickett

Eva Pickett (nee Bille)

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Eva at the Woodhaven LTC on Sunday, August 2, 2020.

She was predeceased by her loving husband Clarke. Eva will be sadly missed by her friends and her family in Denmark.

We are especially thankful to her personal support worker Merilyn Meranez who was caretaker as well as her steadfast companion during a very lonely Covid-19 period from March through July, and to the supportive and caring staff at Woodhaven LTC in Markham where Eva stayed the last few weeks of her life.

Eva was born in Nr.Alslev, Denmark in 1934 to Gudrun and Carl Holger Bille who had three daughters, Else, Edith and Eva. Eva will be dearly missed by Else, nephew Ronnie and niece Jytte and their children.

She was educated as an early childhood nurse and worked with children and later on as a secretary.  In 1962 she moved to Canada for work and for many years, and until her retirement, she worked as an executive assistant at the Danish Dairy Association in Toronto.

Eva married Clarke Pickett in 1982 and the two of them were truly ‘life lovers’. They travelled, entertained, socialized, played tennis and enjoyed the arts and music - in particular traditional jazz. Besides traveling internationally and to her native Denmark, they had a special affection for Florida and they spent many holidays and winters in their beloved Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. For her entire life in Canada Eva stayed true to her Danish roots, her community of special Danish friends, the Danish Women Association, the Danish Lutheran Church, her friends and family back in Denmark – parents, sisters and nephews and nieces. She was always proud of her heritage and she still spoke and wrote Danish with great pride.

Eva was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 70 and from that point and especially in the last years of her life, she battled the disease with dignity and grace, but hated what it did to her body, being very aware of the course the illness took.  We had hoped the move to a LTC facility, and with the additional help from her PSW, that she would find some small joys still in life, but on August 2nd – exactly five years to the date of the passing of her beloved Clarke, she closed her eyes for the last time and slept her eternal sleep.

Cremation has taken place and Eva’s ashes will be interred next to Clarke’s at the Sunset Villa Memorial Park Urn Cemetery at a private ceremony. At a later date, once we are allowed to gather again, there will be a celebration of life service at the Danish Lutheran Church in Toronto.

Condolences can be left on this wall and we will reach out to inform of the date for the celebration of life.

Eva would have loved flowers, but in lieu of, please consider a donation to the Danish Lutheran Church in Toronto or Parkinson Canada.