WILLE, Ilona Wille

Born in Germany, she spent her youth in rural towns roaming the dark forests. As a young woman in the late sixties she was part of the Frankfurt protest movements and was firmly intrenched in the alternative crowd.  She believed peace, not violence was the way forward.

Ilona left Germany in the early 70’s with a few like minded friends and travelled the Hippie trail to Dharamshala where she studied Buddhist Philosophy at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives established by HH the Dalai Lama. From there she immigrated to Canada with her first husband.

They first lived on a farm and eventually settled in Lindsay running a business, Mandala Designs building Terrariums and were a staple at the One of a Kind craft show for many years.

Ilona was fiercely independent and authentic to the core. She had high expectations of herself and others. She was a passionate feminist and the sisterhood was what mattered. Hierarchy and power structures were to be challenged especially in the moment and sometimes this irritated people. For Ilona the truth mattered. She was resilient physically and mentally and did things her way, which included delivering three children at home.

As a single parent, Ilona retuned to school completing a BA at Trent and an MA at McGill where she won the Alumnae Scholarship for academic achievement. She eventually settled in Peterborough with her second husband, her soulmate, the love of her life, her “Angel”.  There, she taught German at Trent for a number of years. Education was a lifelong value of hers and she took genuine joy in celebrating the accomplishments of others.  She was completely fluent in German and English and would generously translate documents for people refusing to charge a fee.

Ilona was many things in her life, clothing store owner, seamstress, tree planter, translator, craftsperson, wife, mother, Oma, and educator.  Her defining attribute was engagement.  She had a remarkable gift for deeply connecting with people. She would take the time to understand who you were, challenge you along the way and share her story with you. She could receive criticism without being offended. She developed and maintained decades long, deep friendships, locally, nationally and internationally.

Ilona was a voracious reader and loved going to the Library.  She was intrigued by lives of women, women writers, and German literature and film.

Upon retirement she and her husband embraced campervan travel and made many trips to the East Coast, Lake Superior and the West Coast. Ilona loved beach walks and was fascinated with rocks, collecting many along the way.

Ilona is survived by her cherished husband Jim who remained by her side every day throughout her illness.  His authentic kindness and attentiveness was unwavering, he ensured she was always comfortable, safe, and surrounded by love. They built a beautiful life together, including their Chateau Carlisle addition with their own hands. Ilona reflected on her partnership with Jim stating, “he inspires me with most everything he suggests, shares, initiates and acts on”. He was her true love and in his presence, she found peace and enduring happiness.  To Ilona, Jim WAS IT.  She is also survived by her children, Josh, Tara and Yeshe and her bonus children, Laurel, James and Marie as well as her grandchildren, Olivia, Briar, Georgia, Connor, Anna Laine, Thomas, Carson, Clara, William and Audrey. In Germany she is survived by her sister Rikki, half sister Elke and many nieces and nephews.

We wish to thank the staff at Peterborough Regional Heath Care Centre and Kingston Cancer Centre, Ontario Health at Home and Home Instead for their professional, compassionate care.

Ilona lived life with passion, intellectual curiosity, compassion and her own unique style. As one of the sisterhood said, “The world needs more Ilonas”. She will be profoundly missed.