Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Uno Prii's widow, the delightful and wise Silvia, died on Monday. I met her on several occasions and have fond memories of her company, of discussing her husband's work, the architecture scene in post-WW2 Toronto that they were part of, the boats they sailed, their travels, the world of contemporary design - she was at the Concrete Toronto book launch a few years ago, for instance - and many other things besides. On several occasions I was her fortunate guest, with friends, at the RCYC on the Islands, sitting out on the verandah, looking back at the skyline of the city she loved. Uno, I knew, was always with her.
Here's the recent print obit:
SILVIA PRII (nee KIKAS) Led a fabulous life which ended peacefully at age 85 in St. Michael's Hospital on March 15, 2010. Silvia was born in Valga, Estonia on October 30, 1924. She was an avid scholar and graduated from the University of Stockholm in General Arts. Silvia was faced with tragedy at a young age when her brother Sven, was killed in WWII at age 18. This and other harrowing war experiences were to shape Silvia into becoming the strong, resilient and compassionate woman that she was. She met her lifelong love Uno Prii on the ski slopes of Sweden and they were married in 1946 in Stockholm. They immigrated to Canada in 1950, settling in the city of Toronto where she immediately obtained her degree in Librarianship from the University of Toronto in 1952. Upon graduation, she began her illustrious career working for the Toronto Public Library system. Silvia always had a strong personal interest in fine art which was evident in her work as a Royal Ontario Museum Volunteer for six years before rejoining the Toronto Public Library in 1971 at the Forest Hill branch. In 1972, Silvia was appointed as one of the original subject specialists, responsible for selection of materials for the projected Northern District Library. As a Fine Arts Specialist, Silvia became recognized as a valued professional in her field and her hard work lives on in the art book collections that she put together. One such collection, compiled in 1992, is enjoyed by patrons of the National Library of Estonia. She retired in 1985 but amazingly, she still volunteered weekly at the Toronto Reference Library until the age of 84 when her failing health forced her to resign. Silvia sadly lost her dear 'Uno-kena' to cancer in November, 2000. Friends, family and those close to her began to realize that Silvia would never be the same without her beloved husband. However, despite her broken heart, she was determined to stay 'grateful and positive' about her life and continued to stay socially active at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and attended numerous daily events with her wide circle of friends. Silvia, who was always fascinated by other cultures, travelled extensively and attended annual international library conferences in Budapest, Grenoble, Washington and Brussels. She enjoyed walking, skiing, playing tennis, swimming and of course, most of all, interacting with Uno as First Mate on their yacht Silmardo. As the saying goes: 'behind every great man, is a great woman' and Silvia Prii was indeed a great woman. She was always Uno's most loyal, admiring and strongest supporter and continued to promote Uno's historic legacy as a talented and masterful Architect in Toronto. Silvia is survived by their adopted children: Donna and Mark (wife Karrie), her younger sister Tiiu Chang-Kue and family: Ken, Kevin and Karin; her older sister, the late Asta Gauer and Vladimir Gauer; her nieces: Chris, Katrin and Ingrid, her grandnieces: Jennifer and Denise and her grandnephews: Gregory and Joey; her grandchildren: Markus, Ramsey, Sasha and Daniel and by the Tralman family. Silvia, by all accounts, lived her life to the fullest and although she'll be sadly missed by all her friends and family, those of us who loved and admired her know in our hearts that she is now resting in peace with Uno by her side.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/article853520.ece
Here's the recent print obit:
SILVIA PRII (nee KIKAS) Led a fabulous life which ended peacefully at age 85 in St. Michael's Hospital on March 15, 2010. Silvia was born in Valga, Estonia on October 30, 1924. She was an avid scholar and graduated from the University of Stockholm in General Arts. Silvia was faced with tragedy at a young age when her brother Sven, was killed in WWII at age 18. This and other harrowing war experiences were to shape Silvia into becoming the strong, resilient and compassionate woman that she was. She met her lifelong love Uno Prii on the ski slopes of Sweden and they were married in 1946 in Stockholm. They immigrated to Canada in 1950, settling in the city of Toronto where she immediately obtained her degree in Librarianship from the University of Toronto in 1952. Upon graduation, she began her illustrious career working for the Toronto Public Library system. Silvia always had a strong personal interest in fine art which was evident in her work as a Royal Ontario Museum Volunteer for six years before rejoining the Toronto Public Library in 1971 at the Forest Hill branch. In 1972, Silvia was appointed as one of the original subject specialists, responsible for selection of materials for the projected Northern District Library. As a Fine Arts Specialist, Silvia became recognized as a valued professional in her field and her hard work lives on in the art book collections that she put together. One such collection, compiled in 1992, is enjoyed by patrons of the National Library of Estonia. She retired in 1985 but amazingly, she still volunteered weekly at the Toronto Reference Library until the age of 84 when her failing health forced her to resign. Silvia sadly lost her dear 'Uno-kena' to cancer in November, 2000. Friends, family and those close to her began to realize that Silvia would never be the same without her beloved husband. However, despite her broken heart, she was determined to stay 'grateful and positive' about her life and continued to stay socially active at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and attended numerous daily events with her wide circle of friends. Silvia, who was always fascinated by other cultures, travelled extensively and attended annual international library conferences in Budapest, Grenoble, Washington and Brussels. She enjoyed walking, skiing, playing tennis, swimming and of course, most of all, interacting with Uno as First Mate on their yacht Silmardo. As the saying goes: 'behind every great man, is a great woman' and Silvia Prii was indeed a great woman. She was always Uno's most loyal, admiring and strongest supporter and continued to promote Uno's historic legacy as a talented and masterful Architect in Toronto. Silvia is survived by their adopted children: Donna and Mark (wife Karrie), her younger sister Tiiu Chang-Kue and family: Ken, Kevin and Karin; her older sister, the late Asta Gauer and Vladimir Gauer; her nieces: Chris, Katrin and Ingrid, her grandnieces: Jennifer and Denise and her grandnephews: Gregory and Joey; her grandchildren: Markus, Ramsey, Sasha and Daniel and by the Tralman family. Silvia, by all accounts, lived her life to the fullest and although she'll be sadly missed by all her friends and family, those of us who loved and admired her know in our hearts that she is now resting in peace with Uno by her side.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/article853520.ece
They all obviously had a case of the munchies: there was fast-food litter strewn everywhere on the square, making themselves look like a careless bunch of slobs. This doesn't work. I am not offended by pot, but it deserves better reps than this hapless and tacky collective.