Laila Sigrid Walli Silva, 93, of Hoquiam passed away on Dec. 25, 2019, in Aberdeen, Washington.

A memorial will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, at Fern Hill Funeral Home, Aberdeen.

Laila was born to Sigrid and Sam Walli on Dec. 4, 1926, at the old St. Joseph’s Hospital in Aberdeen.

She attended Whitman Grade School, Miller Junior High and graduated from Weatherwax High School in 1944. She graduated from Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo, Michigan and was a registered Occupational Therapist. She worked as an activity director at Peter Pan nursing home in Centralia and Rosary Manor in Chehalis.

She married Earl Edward Silva on March 27, 1948, at the Finnish Lutheran Church in Aberdeen. She lived in Aberdeen, Seattle, Centralia, Ocean Shores and for the past six years resided at Channel Point in Hoquiam.

Finnish was her first language and she was proud of her Finnish heritage. At age 70 she wrote “Eastside Finns,” a booklet of local Finnish history. She enjoyed cooking, baking Finnish coffee bread and korpua, sewing, gardening and watercolor painting which she began at age 60.

She made lifelong friends wherever she lived, and maintained close family ties. She became involved in her community and added her own special touches wherever she lived. As her health failed she still smiled and made every attempt to remain independent. She died peacefully with family present.

She is survived by her four daughters: Susan (Ron) White of Boise, Idaho; Sally Silva of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Cynthia Taylor of Long Beach, Washington and Celia Hansen of Spokane Washington. Her grandchildren are Heather Culig, John White, Brian White, Seth Taylor, Scarlett Taylor, Andy Hansen, and Aaron Hansen. Her great-grandchildren are Holly, Charlie, Emma and Sally Culig, Jessie and Johnny White, Laila and Denny White, Skyler, Camden, Izzie and Margie Taylor, Keaton Taylor, Maysun and Malakhi Verley.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 53 years, two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Arrangements are entrusted to Twibell’s Fern Hill Funeral Home in Aberdeen, Washington.