Leith Leslie's speach at the memorial service

Yetta –my friend of 45 years-that strong woman we all know, with her remarkable  skills and accomplishments.  And after the last  2 months,  I  think mostly  of the “heart” stories of our lives and the influence of Yetta’s  great generosity of spirit and her role as a “knitter of community”.

We first met over our involvements in draft dodger issues in Vancouver about 1969.  Since that time, we have lived together, worked together, talked, cried, laughed together, as friends do.

She was always generous with her “darn projects” and we would grumble about that good humouredly.  Really, those projects were about her passions, skills as an initiator, and her love of working with people. I myself was always “in” for these projects. I do love a project and working with people myself, so we had many adventures together.
The first of these began when she, with Barb and Mike, joined our project, a kind of intentional farming community- “commune”- in Gibson’s Landing.  Most of us involved in that  2+ years experiment came out of that “pressure cooker” as we later referred to it, with new ideas, skills and directions in our lives.
For Yetta that was crafts. Hand-block-printed clothing which we made  and sold at those early fairs with the help of a LIP grant.  This later became Circle Craft Cooperative which had its beginnings in Victoria with the Fibres Festival, and Open Space Christmas markets. Then onto the first Christmas market at Vancouver East Cultural Centre- little did we know then, it would become the large and successful Circle Craft  market of today!   A three year LEAP grant allowed a group of us to focus and solidify the craft scene all over BC, culminating with the Yetta’s largest project, Habitat Craft Fair.  Then Yetta stepped away from Circle Craft knowing it was time for it to go its own way, which it did with great success.

After retirement from her own business and her teaching, she returned to that craft world again. She worked for CESO and was sent to Kyrgyzstan  to bring her craft marketing skills to a co-op of woman there.  She came back saying that what they needed most was markets.  Several of us came up with that project, and Friends of Bokonbaevo emerged. Soon  we all were lugging beautiful felt rugs, slippers, scarves, to many craft fairs again. Finally these past few years on Gabriola, Yetta who always has been an artist, was finally seeing herself as one. What a joy to watch her delve into her own creative work.

And then there were her homes, also projects, full of her creativity with colour and space.  She has always shared her homes with ease and comfort. All of us were welcome and this was still so, up until the very last on Gabriola.

I remember coming to Vancouver years ago at some late hour, ringing her intercom at midnight, waking her to ask if I could sleep on her couch or floor. From the intercom came, “Hurray, no one ever does this to me in Toronto!”  Those were tough years in Toronto and she missed her west coast community so much.

She shared all of her homes and the projects of construction and reconstruction with Tom-Sawyer-like largesse. I think we need to confess that mostly we all loved it. Building her house in Gibsons, the reconstruction of Roseberry, the North Vancouver house,  and of course the finale- Stalker Rd. That was truly the peak community effort for so many of us with she and  Eric managing the construction.

There were times when I would groan as the reality would hit me. Oh no, another house project. When I saw that plaid wall paper in the North Vancouver house she had just bought, I felt nothing but overwhelmed, but Yetta of course felt greatly challenged and could easily see how it would look renovated. A key difference between us.

Yetta knew know how to make beauty in so many ways - homes, objects of all kinds, clothes, gardens, food. In contrast to many creative people it was often not an individual thing for her.  Again her generous  spirit. The ideas, design, the process, the end product, were all to be joyfully shared. Often shared widely. A project could be a small idea  with a few people and go quickly to a cast of hundreds like the Habitat Craft Fair.
As good long time friends we have been in each of our lives, as we have changed jobs, raised our children, fell apart, pulled ourselves together, dithered about  decisions. Well I dithered- she offered her insightful questions.  “Do you really need to have answers to 95% of the questions before you make a decision?”  Yetta  listened to me, hugged me, said wise words to me, or sharp words. That was rare, but it was fierce. Once when that happened and I  got over the shock, I realized I gotten darn close to being a family member!  

So we have been friends and family for each other.  That closeness was grounded during that crazy time that was the 60’s and 70’s. Hippies, the counter culture, alternative life styles - all those words that have been laid on after that time and will never come close to describing the  connection.  So much deeper, life changing  than can be said in words. We shared our lives in ways that others may never understand and sometimes now, we don’t either! We shared houses, ideas, our cars, our clothes, our work, belongings- for years later I would find some cutlery I got as a wedding present in the kitchen drawer in all of her houses. I always found that comforting.

Throughout  this big life she came to know so many people. Once Walter and I went to a movie with her in Vancouver. We came out  and immediately met a several people she knew, then down the street to another several and the further to another. Walter rolled his eyes at me and said, “I knew I should have brought a book.”  During what she called this last 2 months, her  “gift of time”,  she visited with and heard from so many of those people. We have  learned to appreciate her connectedness from which we benefitted so much. We shared Yetta, and found new friends ourselves. She knitted community.

We have shared her dying as we had shared her life. Being with Yetta  and her family this past few months has been life changing for me. She went through this final “passion” with familiar stamina and courage, mind and heart fully engaged. She was ready to talk about and to live this final adventure with openness to the experience and  her community.  She showed the mature graces of determination, wisdom, clarity, gratitude and love. She knew she had lead a full life, nothing more needed to be said or done – she was ready. A great gift to me from my friend. And to all of us.
Right now a special  gratitude to Erik, Kath, Barb, and Michael who also know how to knit community.  This time we have had together has been a great help to me with the large Yetta-sized hole that is left in my  heart. I guess I have been holding onto you, her children, this week because it will be hard for us all now to go our ways. Here with you four, I am constantly reminded of Yetta. She is so present in your voices, your eyes, humour, stamina, courage, intensity, the beauty of the things you all create, and especially in your generosity of heart. When you miss her take a look around at each other, then at all your children, your grand  grandchildren. There she is in them  in a look, a gesture, another crazy project, an event that is planned with such unbelievable ease.  They are cooking wonderful food, perhaps building a house where they have somehow talked all their friends into helping them. Another darn project that they go after with great passion.

Today we miss you Yetta. Celebrate you. Tell each other stories about  how much you have meant in our lives.