Ausma Vilcins

Ausma Vilcins, 90, died Monday, February 2, 2009 at her home of natural causes. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 21, 2009 at Unity Lutheran Church, 1450 East 33rd Street. Her cremated remains will be returned to Dignaja, Latvia for burial next to her late husband.
Ausma was born December 8, 1918 to her Latvian parents, Janis and Elza Zarins in Vladivostok, Russia. The family moved back to Riga, Latvia after World War I in June of 1920.
After graduating from High School in Valmiera, Ausma entered the University of Riga, Latvia to study mathematics and science. Her studies were interrupted by World War II and the family fled to Germany from the advancing Soviet Army in 1945. Ausma continued her studies at the Baltic University in Pinneberg, Germany from where she graduated in 1948. A year later she earned her Masters degree in mathematics. While at the University, she became involved in student affairs and was the founding member of the Latvian Sorority “Spidola”.
Also while in Germany, Ausma met her future husband, Janis Osvalds Vilcins and they were married July 12, 1947, in Hamburg, Germany.
With the help of the Lutheran Welfare Society, Ausma, her husband Janis and her mother Elza arrived in New York May 15, 1950, and settled on a farm near Elkhart, Iowa. After about a month, the family moved to Des Moines and worked in different jobs. To further her education, she took accounting classes at Drake University and eventually became a bookkeeper and computer programmer at the Ford Motor Company. She retired from there when the company closed its doors.
Ausma was a member of the Iowa Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, The Latvian Society in Iowa, life member of the American Latvian Association and numerous other organizations. For her lifetime of dedication and unstinting support of the National Republican Party, Ausma was nominated and consigned unto a full and honorable Eisenhower Commission. Among the many charitable organizations she supported, her favorite was the Animal Rescue League (ARL). She loved animals and especially her German shepherd dog, Krissy. Ausma was an avid reader, loved art and enjoyed tending flowers and bushes in her beautiful garden. While her husband was alive, they traveled not only all over the United States but also to Europe. After it became possible again, she visited her native Latvia on numerous occasions.
Ausma was a person who thought about other people first. This gentle person was loved by everyone whom she met in all walks of life. She is survived by her many friends in the United States and several distant relatives in Latvia who are truly heartbroken. She was preceded in death by her husband, Janis Osvalds Vilcins.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Iowa Latvian Evangelical Church, the Latvian Society in Iowa and Animal Rescue League.
Hamilton’s Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com

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