Elsa Elin (Wallensteen) Hacking

Our dear mother, Elsa, was born in the family home on the shore of the Shuswap Lake in Sunnybrae, BC.

The fourth child of Elsa and Karl Wallensteen, she was predeceased by her brothers Henry and Ake, and sisters Karin MacAulay and Astrid Rivers. And is survived by her sister Dagny Fochuk of Salmon Arm.

She always spoke of her childhood as ideal, not rich in material goods, but filled with love and all the joys of life growing up in a happy family on a small farm on the lake.

On graduating from high school in 1944, she joined her eldest sister, Karin, in Vancouver to work at Boeing Aircraft on Sea Island in charge of cribs for the Catalina PBYs and mid-section of the B-29 bombers.

Following the war, she trained as a psychiatric nurse at Essondale Hospital and later worked as a clerk/receptionist at the Vancouver Sun. Elsa moved back to Salmon Arm in 1951 to be close to her family and take a position as secretary for Columbia Forest Products.

Elsa married Constable George Hacking in April of 1954 in her family home in Sunnybrae and the couple moved to Dawson Creek, where George was posted with the RCMP.  

Their married life was marked by commitment to family and love of boating and travel.  While raising their children, summers were spent visiting with relatives and friends in a cabin that George built next to Elsa’s family home in Sunnybrae.

Subsequent postings included Blue River, Greenwood, Trail, Abbotsford, and Ocean Park, until George retired in 1971 to Galiano Island where they lived on their Albin sailboat, Elansa, while their house was being built. For the next 10 years they enjoyed island life and sailing on the coast.

In 1981 they moved to a lakeshore property at 12 Mile on Kootenay Lake, and took up sailing with the local club for whom Elsa often hosted gala luncheons at the end of regattas. And in the autumn, they made extended RVing trips across Canada and the States.  In 1990 they moved to Boswell, sailing the lake there, until making their final retirement home in Qualicum Beach, BC in 2000.

Elsa was predeceased by her husband, George (2001) and children Barbara Elsa (1955), Norman George (1957) and Annette Elisabeth (2007). In 2016 she moved into an independent living suite at The Gardens in Qualicum Beach. Where she enjoyed hosting her nieces and nephews when they came to the Island for their holidays.

She is survived by her son Brent (Sylvia) of Deep Bay and daughter Sandra Storm of Qualicum Beach.

Our mother was a deeply kind person who loved life and always put her family and the comfort of others first. She welcomed all into her home. Her love of reading, animals, sense of fun, creative spirit, love of cooking and entertaining were greatly enjoyed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.

She imparted to her children a reverence for nature and respectful enjoyment of the outdoors. Throughout our lives she was a constant source of comfort, encouragement and lessons in friendship and love.

As she wished, her ashes were sent to join those of her daughter, Annette, and husband, George, in the waters off Vancouver Island where they spent many happy years of sailing.

Our family would like to thank all the wonderful staff at The Gardens in Qualicum Beach, the BC Ambulance Service, the North Island Hospital Comox Valley and the Aitken Community Hospice in Comox for their dedication and care.