By Marion Boyd
Special to the Times-Chronicle
Members of the Book Club serenade Elli on her 94th birthday. (Photo contributed)
When Elli Jakubovskis of Osoyoos turned 94 on May 9, she appeared on the balcony of her home to find members of her Book Club spread out in the garden below.
Bearing a huge bouquet of flowers, a teddy bear to replace the hugs we aren’t allowed to have these days, and balloons, the group, ever mindful of the six-foot distancing rule, serenaded the much-loved birthday girl with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.
The Book Club was started by Elli way back in 1978 and it has continued with members coming from Oliver, Osoyoos, Cawston, Penticton and Kelowna.
In 1978 Elli moved from Vancouver to Osoyoos and provided the experienced leadership needed for the new 75-bed Extended Care Unit at South Okanagan General Hospital.
She turned the new unit into a place that was the envy of much larger hospitals. She had to train staff and administration in order to do it, and she was expert at getting people to cooperate for a larger cause.
Elli knew the name of every patient and the names of their families for a good number of years until she retired. As she says, she loves to “accost” people and knows half the town.
Elli wanted to know other professionals at the hospital on a more personal level than was possible at work where the demands of the job didn’t allow much time to socialize.
The Book Club was the perfect solution, and initially all members worked at the hospital. Over the years that gradually changed but a number of the original members belong to this day.
Present with happy smiles and lots of Elli stories to honour her on her 94th birthday were the following members: Sue Davidson, Julie Hamilton, Vivienne Calder from Osoyoos, Marion Boyd, Celia Newman from Oliver, Sally Mennell from Cawston and Brita Park from Penticton.
Sending good wishes but unable to attend were Lilianne Jeanes of Kelowna, Betty Lou Trimmer Bahnsen and Marianne Hutterli from Oliver, Fran Bjerkan from Penticton and Bonna Dawson from Cawston.
Also present was Elli’s nephew, Frank Obermeier, who has been renamed by her as “The Angel” because of the daily care and attention he bestows on her.
