Alina SCHWEITZER

ALINA SCHWEITZER Alina Schweitzer passed away peacefully in her home on April 28, 2022, surrounded by her loved ones. She was in her 93rd year. Alina is survived by her beloved husband, Tom; daughters, Toni (Ron) and Valerie (Chris); and grandchildren, Jack and Matthew Poulton. She will be sorely missed. Born in 1929 in pre-war Poland, Alina was the only child of doctor Paul Rayman and his wife Sarah. Interned in the Warsaw Ghetto by the Nazis during the war, the family managed to escape in harrowing circumstances, an experience which remained indelibly ingrained in her. Though schools were closed down, and she and her family lived under ever present threat, Alina sought refuge in one of the loves of her life: books, and in those books found freedom and joy. In hiding for four years, Alina studied on her own, managing to remain within only one year of her cohort. Alina maintained her love of language and literature throughout her life. At any time, she was known to have several books on the go. Her passion for reading led her to a successful career as librarian at the National Library of Canada, where she devised the 2nd and 3rd editions of Canadian Subject Headings, a system so user friendly that librarians from around the world came to learn and pattern their own systems on her work. For this, Alina received from the Government of Canada the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal. The use of correct grammar was her absolute standard, for herself, and everyone else. She was the perfect editor: patient, detailed, calm, and full of contempt for a comma gone astray. Alina loved the company of family and friends; she was an accomplished cook and a patron of the arts and architecture. Music was her delight, particularly the works of Mozart, Bach and late Beethoven. She and Tom traveled often to France where her interest in Romanesque architecture took her to many medieval towns and villages, down many cobbled streets, including a trip to the South of France where she and Tom shared and appreciated the beauties of centuries-old cathedrals and churches. In her travels, Alina considered herself very lucky indeed. She returned to Poland once, after the war, with Tom and their daughters. Time had helped to heal the deep wound tyranny inflicted. She herself had survived; more, she lived a life of deep intellectual engagement and fulfillment. And she found joy: joy in her marriage, in her daughters, in her grandchildren, in her friends, in her books, and in her music. She was living proof that love is better than hate, and that life is strong and resolute. We have lost a gentle, wonderful mother, grandmother, wife, and friend. The world has lost a true survivor.