Tribute

Elsa was born on October 19, 1931, in Ribeirinha on the island of Sao Miguel, Azores, Portugal. She was the third oldest of nine children.

Elsa lived a life of service devoted to family, both immediate and extended. Elsa’s elementary education was interrupted at age 11 to assist her mother in caring for a newborn sibling. At age fifteen, she left her home to be the live-in caregiver for two elderly aunts and an uncle. Their home became hers and ultimately her family’s home for the remaining time she lived in Sao Miguel.

At age 18, she married Adriano Ledo Ferreira, a marriage which endured for 72 years, until his death in 2022. Adriano immigrated to Canada, seeking a better economic life for his family, leaving Elsa with a 3-month-old daughter (Adriana) and later a son (Jess). Elsa left Sao Miguel with Adriana and Jess to join her husband in Canada in 1962, where they settled in Kitimat, BC and eventually had two more sons (Ed and Michael). During their time in Kitimat, Elsa raised their children while also working various service industry jobs to help support the family.

In 1978, at the ages of 47 and 48, respectively, and despite not having any experience owning or managing a business, Elsa and Adriano made a significant life-changing move to Osoyoos, BC, where they purchased a small business with an orchard, fruit stand, gas station and a convenience store selling imported Portuguese food and goods. Learning on the fly, Elsa managed many of the functions of the business and its finances, often working 12 to 16 hour days throughout the peak spring/summer seasons. Her small stature belied a tireless drive to ensure the survival and success of the business while also finding energy and time to host and entertain visiting family and friends, always urging them to ‘eat more’ of her delicious cooking. She was fiercely devoted to her family and never failed to respond to a request for help looking after grandchildren in Osoyoos and Vancouver. Elsa maintained this amazing pace well into her 70’s when she and Adriano sold the business and settled into retirement in Osoyoos.

Elsa was a guiding mentor to her children and grandchildren. She was emphatic that financial security could be achieved through education and hard work. Her influence on her children and grandchildren cannot be overemphasized. She coached, mentored and encouraged all to greater effort while supporting them with hugs, kisses, great laughs and food, which greatly contributed to the remarkable success of each of them in both career and character. Elsa often expressed how comforted, grateful and proud she felt at how her children and grandchildren were thriving. “I just tried to show them the right road,” were among her final words.

Elsa is survived by six (6) of her siblings (Isaura, Walter, Raimundo, Gilberto, Christina and Esméria); by her children Adriana, Jess (Lidia), Ed (Barb) and Michael (Heather), eight grandchildren (Melissa, Kathryn, Justin, Victoria, Anthony, Abbey, Alex and Sam) and six great grandchildren (Quinn, Rhys, Blake, Jensen James (JJ), Brooks and Eleanor (Ellie)).

The family wishes to thank the staff at Amica Edgemont Village and, in particular, the Long-Term Care staff at Amica West Vancouver for their exceptional warmth and care during her stay there.

A funeral mass will be held for Elsa at St. Anne Catholic Church in Osoyoos, BC, at 10:00 am, Monday February 23, 2026. Interment and committal will follow at the Osoyoos Lakeview Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held later in the spring in Vancouver, BC.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Fighting Blindness Canada (fightingblindness.ca) or the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation (heartandstroke.ca).