Frida Anna Leimanis' Obituary
Frida Anna Bilkins Leimanis, 91, died Tuesday, June 14, 2011, at St. Francis Hospital. Born September 20, 1919, in Valguda, Latvia, she was the daughter of Peteris and Anete Ambults.. Frida, with her first husband and children, escaped Soviet controlled Latvia to Germany in 1945. From there she emigrated to Como, Mississippi in 1948 as part of the displaced persons program after WWII. Separated from her family during the war, she was finally reunited with her sisters after a 47 year separation. She retired from the auditing department at Goldsmith Department Store were she worked for 25 years. She took great pride in her work and loved to shop there. She loved to bake and friends looked forward to eating her baked goods. Frida was also an accomplished self-taught gardener who loved to share her plants and flowers with friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, Janis A. Bilkins; second husband, Peteris Leimanis; an infant daughter, Mara Bilkins; and a brother, Arnolds Ambults. Surviving are two sisters, Elza Ziedina and Austra Janmera, both of Latvia; a daughter, Elsa Powell of Memphis; and a son, Otis Bilkins and his wife Anita of Lyndhurst, Virginia. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 pm Thursday, June 16 at the Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis, Tennessee. Graveside service will be at 10 am Friday at the Bethesda Cemetery in Senatobia, Mississippi.
What’s your fondest memory of Frida?
What’s a lesson you learned from Frida?
Share a story where Frida's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Frida you’ll never forget.
How did Frida make you smile?