NEW BRITAIN, CT-Meta Alise (Vitols) Berzins died peacefully, Thursday, January 25th in the arms of her son Juris and her grandson Victor. Her husband, Arvids Berzins died in 1981. She is survived by her only son, Juris I. Berzins of New Britain, CT and four grandchildren, Victor J. Berzins of Oxford, MA, Alex R. Berzins of Fort Myers, FL, Laila B. Berzins of Farmington, CT and Melanie R. Berzins of New Britain, CT.
She was born on January 31, 1911 in the Latvian village of Stiene and lived there in her youth and after marriage and had also lived in Riga, Latvia. During WWII, she, her son and her parents fled from Latvia and became Displaced Persons who moved among various camps but lived the longest in Esslingen near Stuttgart in Germany. Eventually, when her husband returned from his wartime commitments, her family was able to obtain the gracious sponsorship of the Auburn, MA Lutheran Church and to immigrate to the United States in December, 1951. Meta worked as a seamstress and was known for her elegant homemaker and hostess skills. Until she was no longer able to care for herself, she lived at 145 Brookline Street in Worcester, obtained a driver’s license at the age of 72 and maintained her household. Meta had been active in Latvian society, primarily in the Boston area and belonged to the Latvian Lutheran Church in Brookline.
The funeral is Saturday, January 27th at 1:00 PM in O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue. A calling hour will be held from Noon until the time of the service. Subsequently, she will be interred in All Faiths Cemetery where she will rest amid her husband and parents.