Elsie (Else) Lewer: Researcher. Anthropologist. Art lover. Visionary. Born Dec. 26, 1925, in Buford, Alta.; died March 9, 2025, in Agassiz, B.C., of Alzheimer’s disease; aged 99.
Else LewerCourtesy of family
Else Lewer worked at the vanguard of Canada’s mid-century-modern style and sensibility. She was at the centre of its artists, designers and visionaries, and loved it.
Else’s parents, Nick and Mary Marushak, came to Canada from Galicia in the early 1900s as part of the wave of Ukrainian-speaking immigration to Canada. They farmed near Buford, Alta. Elsie Marushak was the fourth of five daughters and was partly home-schooled. Her mother died when Elsie was five.
At 18, she applied for and won a clerical job placement at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. She shortened her name to Else and embraced Ottawa’s social scene. Else soon caught the eye of Neil Lewer. They were attracted by each other’s energy; she was vivacious, outgoing and curious; he was a great catch – a young man already excelling as a real estate agent and developer. They married in 1950 and settled in Ottawa. Decades later she said that she married because “that’s what was done in those days,” but in those early years when she and Neil focused on their careers, life was good.
Else found an outlet for her creative energy in volunteering as a director, set designer and actor with Ottawa Little Theatre. During the 1950s, she worked with the National Film Board and the National Design Centre.
Else was outspoken, feisty and fun-loving. She was known for her impeccable taste and artist’s sensibility. She combined that with problem-solving skills and a researcher’s eye for detail. All this led to one of her most memorable gigs as the assistant creative director for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal and the Japan World Exposition in 1970. In the early 1960s, she and Neil commissioned Schoeler & Barkham Architects to design and build what would become one of the notable mid-century-modern homes in Ottawa; the firm also worked on the Canadian Pavilion for Expo 67, as did Canadian industrial designer Robin Bush.
As Else’s career developed, she saw a future for herself that did not include children and this led to the couple’s divorce in 1965. She enrolled at Carleton University, studying Russian, English and philosophy. By age 47, she had earned master’s degrees in anthropology and cultural geography.
Lewer in a display of Canadian design in the 1950s. During that decade, she worked with the National Film Board and the National Design Centre.Courtesy of family
After the expositions, she researched and developed themes for the Victoria Memorial Museum in Ottawa, and later worked with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.
Else continued to work with designer Robin Bush and they became business partners and close friends. In 1977, Else moved to North Vancouver to be with Robin. They shared a quirky sense of humour and much time on the water sailing around the Gulf and San Juan islands.
After Robin’s death in 1982, Else continued working as a market research consultant until retirement. She travelled, attended gallery openings and exhibits, enjoyed listening to jazz and classical music at home, and read the classics in English and Russian. She mostly kept to herself in her later years and grew apart from her family. Else’s nephew Morley Blazenko, 92, remembers visiting with his aunt when he was younger. She always fearlessly spoke her mind, he said. Even after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 88 and committed to long-term care, Else remained forthright and direct.
Her North Vancouver apartment was filled with a collection of books, Canadian art and prototypes of furniture designed by Robin. After her death, a few key pieces of this furniture were donated to the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.
Her family is happy to see her recognized as one of the talented people at the forefront of Canada’s emerging national identity.
Trudy Lancelyn is Else Lewer’s great-niece.
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