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CELDOMA, Adolfs

May 1, 1917 – November 4, 2011


Having lived a rich, full and storied life, Adolfs died peacefully at home. Perkone-Liepaja, a fishing village in Latvia, was his birthplace where he was the youngest of 4 children in his family. From a young age he mastered his own destiny, first by being a cowherd during the summer months to help provide for his family and then being spotted as a bright academic, which led to support for finishing school. He was selected for the Latvian Maritime Marine Academy where he studied engineering until the outbreak of WWII and then spent the wartime years as a German merchant marine officer. He met the sweetheart of this life, Olga, in a displacement camp towards the end of the war and persuaded her to marry him after a 3-month courtship. For the next 65 ½ years they lived an amazing life. They moved to England where Adolfs joined the British merchant marine fleet and quickly became chief engineering officer with Metcalfe Motor Co. of London. He was able to bring Olga along on many of his travels and they saw incredible places and met many people over the 9 years of his service with this company. He declined the offer to become a station manager in Bombay as he and Olga opted for another adventure, which was to immigrate to Canada on April 15, 1954 with their young daughter, Kaiva.


Not one to shirk hard work, Adolfs started his new career in Canada by shovelling coal into furnaces at Viceroy Rubber in Toronto. He moved on to the engineering departments at Massey-Harris and then to W.R. Grace Co. – Cryovac division – in Mississauga where he eventually became plant engineer. While working full-time Adolfs studied during the nights until he achieved his First Class Stationary Engineer ticket. He took great pride in his employees and his engine room/production lines running “as smooth as a baby’s perambulator”. He became recognized as an expert in refrigeration systems for the manufacturing sector and his services were requested throughout Ontario and the States. He set the same high standards for himself as he did for others, including his family.


Instead of taking mandatory retirement, Adolfs went on to manage a number of warehouses in the Toronto area with the Sable company for 7 years before deciding to spend time travelling with Olga to Florida where they happily spent many winters.


In 1990 he and Olga moved to Comox and became part of the Beaconsfield Crescent neighbourhood where Adolfs was always ready to offer his often outspoken opinions about world history and politics with anyone passing by. He leaves a large footprint from his 94½ years. He is survived by his wife, Olga, daughter Kaiva, and grandchildren Jocelyn (Matt) and Patrick who is his biggest fan. Much appreciation to Dr. Woldnik for his compassionate care of Adolfs and to neighbours and good friends for bringing him sunny days.


“May the wind be always at your back”


Private family arrangements. For those wishing, donations to a charity of choice would be appreciated.



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