Asja Saulitis

Born November 4, 1926 in Valka, Latvia, she was the eldest daughter of the late Lucija and Aleksandrs Ivins.

At thirteen, her youth was interrupted with the outbreak of WWII. In 1944, she, with her sister and parents, fled the Red Army occupation of Latvia, and lived in displaced persons camps in Husum and Flenzburg, Germany.

There, she finished high school, started university, and first met the young man she would later marry, another Latvian displaced person named Janis (John) Saulitis. Resettled in the United States in 1950 under the Marshall Plan, she received sponsorship by the College of Mount Saint Joseph on the Ohio in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she earned her degree in Medical Technology.

Asja and John eventually re-connected in the United States and, after six unsuccessful and one successful proposal, they were married November 27, 1954 in Cincinnati, and then settled in Bronx, New York. They became parents of Andrew, John, Eva and Mara.

The Saulitis family later moved to Amherst, Massachusetts and in 1968, to Silver Creek, New York which would be their home for the next 35 years. John would become the Director of the Daniel Reed Library at SUNY Fredonia, and Asja resumed her career as a Medical Technologist at Lake Shore, Brooks Memorial, and Tri-County Hospitals. 19 Division Street was their beloved homestead in Silver Creek, where Asja honed her formidable skills as a gardener, beekeeper, artisan, tailor, baker, birdwatcher, cross-country skier and tireless purveyor of all things handmade. Their home and land became a refuge reminiscent of a Latvian family homestead, alive with an orchard, a garden, a woodlot, and countless flower beds. Asja mastered the intricate art of knitting Latvian mittens, using ancient traditional designs.

Asja was renowned as a cook and baker, famous for her Thanksgiving goose stuffed with prunes. A practitioner of true hospitality, she spent days preparing for visitors, holidays, dinner parties and family reunions, keeping detailed notes on menus and recipes. After retire-ment, she took up basket weaving with her dear friend, Sylvia Clarke.

Asja was active in the Silver Creek Garden Club, the Fortnightly Club, the Stock Club, the Friends of Anderson-Lee Library and was a parishioner of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. She was an avid reader (in both English and Latvian), and a devoted letter-writer.

In retirement, Asja put her abundant energy into her the things she loved most – family, friendship, gardening, honing her craft skills, taking long walks, learning yoga, volunteering for hospice and developing new health-conscious recipes. She delighted in her role as “grandma” from the moment her first grandchild Emily arrived in 1983, and who was joined by Anna, John, Peter, Kathryn, Phoebe, Sam, and Quinn. She traveled around the country to see all of her children and grandchildren, and made their visits to Silver Creek magical – with expeditions to the creek, the lake and the enchanted forest in the back yard.

A woman of two cultures, Asja fully integrated into an American life while maintaining her Latvian language and traditions, which she passed on to her children and grandchildren.

Asja was predeceased by her younger brother Nikolajs, who fell in WW II, her parents, her husband who passed away in 2007, her nephew John Niedra, and her sister-in-law Valerija Niedra, who was another sister to her.

She is survived and grieved by her children and their spouses, Andrew and Kathy Saulitis of Darien, Connecticut; John and Susie Saulitis of Mineral Ridge, Ohio; Eva Saulitis and Craig Matkin of Homer, Alaska; and Mara and Jon Liebling of Bainbridge Island, Washington; her eleven grand and step-grandchildren, Emily, Anna, John, Peter, Kathryn, Phoebe, Sam, Quinn, Elli, Lars and Eve, and stepgreat grandchild, Findlay. Also mourning her passing are her niece and beloved goddaughter Biruta Niedra in Toronto, Canada; her sister Irina Bunde, niece and nephews Inese and Martins Racenis, and Ivars Bunde in Boston, and Viktors and Zane Bunde in Riga, Latvia and their families; her cousin Ruta Zakss, in Saldus, Latvia; and her sister-in-law Sofija Baginska and nieces and nephews in Chicago, Elizabete and Vitalijs Kursitis and Stanislavs and Rita Baginskis and their families.

Asja will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by Sandra Niedra and family, friends, and caregivers. She made a lasting impression even on people she only briefly met, and she leaves behind a legacy of kindness.

Donations may be made in Asja’s name to the Quality of Life Fund, Martha & Mary Rehabilitation Home (where she received loving care) P.O. Box 127, Poulsbo, WA 98370.