LIEPINS, Ines Liepins

It is with deep love and gratitude that the family of Ines Kaethe (Hoeppner) Liepins announces her passing on July 9, 2025, at the age of 97. Born in Riga, Latvia, on May 25, 1928, to Ellinor and Mauritius Hoeppner, Ines was the youngest of three children and sister to Karl Heinrich (known as Karl Heinz) and Walter. As Baltic Germans, her family endured displacement during the Second World War, leaving Latvia in 1939 and resettling in Germany before the war’s end. At age 21, Ines immigrated to Canada through the International Refugee Organization, arriving at Pier 21 in Halifax. She first worked in Eganville before moving to Toronto, where she reunited with her brother Valter and met her future husband, Valdemars. They married in 1952 and raised four children: Aina, Inta, Edgars, and Daina.

Ines and Valdemars shared a love of the outdoors, taking their children camping, skating, skiing, and tobogganing. After Valdemars’ sudden passing in 1969, Ines, then 41, showed remarkable resilience. She supported her family by working full time, taking night classes, and continuing to nurture her children with love and adventure.

The family cottage at Whitestone Lake became a cherished gathering place, where Ines earned the affectionate title of “fire master” for her legendary burn piles and enjoyed countless games of canasta with family and friends.

Ines was an early advocate of recycling and, at age 50, returned to school at Georgian College to become a Registered Optician. She thrived in Toronto’s high-end optical shops, where her professionalism, style, and warmth shone.

In retirement, she lived in Lakefield, Ontario, and later in Nanaimo, B.C., where she enjoyed gardening, hiking with her dog Ralph, and spending time with her son Ed, daughter-in-law Darlene, and granddaughters Christine and Sarah. While in Nanaimo, she frequently returned to Ontario to visit her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren Katie and Eric, and a lively assortment of grandcats and granddogs. These visits were filled with good food, sweets, laughter, and adventures.

Ines later returned to Ontario, living in Magnetawan with her daughter Daina before moving to Brockville, where she enjoyed her independence, walks along the waterfront, and her “city girl” lifestyle once again. In her final years at The Royal Brock, she embraced community life, attending exercise classes, enjoying happy hours with live music, and founding the Sunday morning Canasta Club.

Ines will be remembered for her resilience, independence, and zest for life. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who leaves behind a legacy of love, strength, and laughter.

She is survived by her children Aina (Borys), Inta, Edgars (Darlene), and Daina (Gilles); grandchildren Christine (Dave), Sarah (Jason), Katie (Steve), and Eric; and great-grandchildren Rayes, Tristan, and Katie’s soon-to-arrive child. She was predeceased by her husband Valdemars, her brothers Karl Heinz and Walter, her parents, and her son-in-law Tex Hoffman-Liepins, who shared a close bond with Ines and welcomed her into his home during her later years. The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the staff and friends at The Royal Brock their care and companionship in her final years and to the staff at Brockville General Hospital Palliative Care Unit.

I keeping with her wishes, a private aqumamation has taken place. Instead of a formal funeral, the family is holding private gatherings to celebrate her life.