Nory died December 13, 2021 in Port Coquitlam, BC. She was born in Bergamo, Italy, in 1946 but lived her childhood years in Nicaragua and Colombia. She moved to Calgary with her family when she was thirteen years old. Because of her travels and her natural ability to speak foreign languages she became fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and managed quite well in Catalan to keep up with the animated discussions carried out by her husband’s family.

She is survived by her husband Julio, her adult children Jason and David, and her grandchildren Miró, Jano, Mobi, and Felix. Oscar Raasveldt, her younger brother, lives in Port Coquitlam.

Nory was a loving wife, devoted mother and faithful friend. The illness that eventually took her life gradually robbed her of her great abilities and personal achievements. She was an accomplished seamstress, a skillful knitter, an outstanding organizer and disciplined planner. Many people recognized her organizational skills in the outstanding jobs she did for Wings over the Rockies and her contributions to Wildsight Invermere. She researched and planned wonderful village-to-village hiking trips that we enjoyed after her retirement.

Nory led an exemplary life leaving the world a better place thanks to her commitments to family and community. As a teacher she was loved by her students and inspired excellence in her colleagues. When we made Invermere our home, her dedication to volunteering her time and effort to grow and improve Wings over the Rockies was recognized by being nominated and being one of the finalists in the Canadian Museum of Nature award.

Even though Nory’s early years could be described as privileged, she was the least materialistic person imaginable. Her friends described her as a minimalist but her lack of desire in materialistic things went beyond not needing them. She was a quiet but determined defender of our planet and worked passionately to preserve the natural beauty that she enjoyed during her regular hikes with Invermere’s Hiking Club.

Nory would probably agree that of all her achievements and accomplishments, the one she was most proud of was that our sons, Jason and David would never have become the loving, caring and unselfish men that they are today without her example, guidance and love.

Please do not send flowers to her family. If you want to honour Nory’s memory do so by making a contribution to an environmental protection organization. Her favourite ones were: Wildsight Invermere, Nature Conservancy Canada, David Suzuki Foundation and, naturally, Wings over the Rockies.