Wilma Davison Kobrinsky
Wilma Davison Kobrinsky, born January 22, 1916 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, passed away at the home she shared with her daughter Dianne Lopez and her son-in-law Steven Lopez on Friday, July 24th 2009.
Wilma, nicknamed Billy and Grandma Billy by family, was the only child of Arthur Bertrum Davison and Myrtle Edith Cameron Davison. Wilma attended Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
During WWII she worked for the Canadian Diplomatic Corps. She met her husband, Dr. Morris Tubber Kobrinsky soon after arriving in St. John’s, Newfoundland where she was assigned to work in the High Commissionaire’s office. They married in 1942 and after the war moved to Tubber’s hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. They established a loving home with their children, Peter, Dianne and Tannis.
When her beloved Tubber died suddenly in a boating accident in 1961, Wilma drove in a small Vauxhall across country with her daughters and mother to start a new life in Santa Barbara leaving her son at the U. of Manitoba. She never remarried, devoting herself to raising and caring for her children and mother.
Always a talented artist, she became active in the Santa Barbara Art Association and through the decades her landscapes and still life paintings won many awards. She loved Santa Barbara and made many life long friendships. Her passing signals an end to an era. She was always so elegantly dressed and spoke with such wit even into her last year. Strangers often came up to her to comment on her beauty as if she was a movie star. Her graceful nature even attracted animals as the neighbor’s cat took to following her on her walks with her walker. Soon, with the understanding of our neighbors, Ron and Shannon Akin, mom had a faithful cat to share her days with, they had found each other.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Nasir for his loving care of her eye-sight as she battled macular degeneration. She’s survived by her daughters Dianne Lopez and Tannis Kobrinsky, son-in-law Steven Lopez, grandchildren Amanda, Victoria and Andrew Tubber Lopez, his wife, Yuki Lopez and their son, Taisei Lopez. Memorial services will be scheduled in December, 2009.