Mirdza Kalnins

Mirdza Kalnins, 92, of Mt. Morris, passed away on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at Allure of Pinecrest after a brief illness. She was born on February 28, 1932, in Riga, Latvia, the eldest child of Edgars and Marija (Gatavs) Kiploks. Mirdza began her primary education in Riga, but in 1944, she was forced to flee her beloved homeland due to the advancing Soviet armies. Over the next six years, she and her family lived in various displaced persons’ camps in Germany, where her education continued among fellow Latvian exiles. While in Germany, she met and became engaged to her future husband, Alfreds Kalnins, another Latvian. Mirdza emigrated to the United States in 1950 and attended South Dakota State University in Brookings.

On July 20, 1952, she married Alfreds Kalnins in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The couple settled in Mt. Morris, where Mirdza raised their three children and cared for her elderly in-laws. Although fiercely proud of her Latvian heritage, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1956. She celebrated the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and subsequently traveled several times to the free, democratic Latvian Republic to visit relatives who had been unable to leave during the Soviet occupation.

Mirdza was actively involved in her children’s activities, serving as a leader or assistant leader in Cub Scouts and Brownies, and as a room mother at the local elementary school. She worked for many years at Watt Publishing Company in Mt. Morris, initially in the research department and later as supervisor of the Ad Processing Department. A devoted member of Trinity Lutheran Church for over 70 years, she also belonged to their Naomi Group. In recent years, she participated in several local book clubs. Mirdza enjoyed art, music, cooking, sewing, and attending any sporting events featuring her grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Edgars (Dr. Beth) Kalnins of Freeport; daughters, Sylvia (Tim) Lambrecht of Mosinee, WI, and Lily (Vern) Welp of Mt. Morris; beloved grandchildren Andrew (Niamh) Welp of Sycamore, IL, Michael (Rachel Botham) Lambrecht of Burlingame, CA, Mark Lambrecht of Wausau, WI, Jacob Kalnins of Lexington Park, MD, Aaron Kalnins of Bloomingdale, IL, and Matthew Kalnins of DeKalb, IL; cherished great-grandchildren Maxwell Lambrecht, Aoife Welp, and Eva Welp; sister Ilga Dulbe of Bloomington, MN; nephew Alex Dulbe of Bloomington, MN; and great-niece Aleksa Dulbe of Bloomington, MN.

She was predeceased by her husband, her parents, her brother, Elmars Kiploks, her aunt and godmother, Selma Simon, her brother-in-law, Vigo Dulbe, and her lifelong best friend, Daila Smelters.

A private funeral is being planned.  The family requests that any gifts in her memory be designated to Mt. Morris Loaves & Fish (409 W. Brayton Rd, Mt. Morris, IL 61054), or Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minneapolis – St. Paul (3152 17th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407).