Lillias Bjornson
Lillias Bjornson (née Helyar) (born 1937) is a Vancouver resident.
She was from 2017 to 2018 the treasurer of the Thomas Merton Society of Canada. [1]
In 2021 she stepped down as Trustee and Treasurer of St. Andrew's Church in Vancouver [2].
Early life
Lillias Helyar was born to Flora Helyar and Charles Helyar in 1937; this makes her a granddaughter of Alex Currie.
Lillias might have been named after her father Charles' sister, Lillias Taylor (1911-2012) [3].
She also had a stepmother Ann Vidal who was married to her father from when she was 13 years old, from 1950 to 1993 when her father died. Presumably she was quite close to Ann and her step-siblings.
Marriage and family
She married Harrill Bjornson (1933 - 2022) on 24 November 1958. Her husband was a former reporter and editor at the Vancouver Sun, and was born in Iceland.
It is possible somehow this Icelandic connection came from Charles Helyar's second wife Ann Vidal who seems to have had a very extensive family including Icelandic people. Maybe that is where she met him.
Harrill remarried in the 1960s or 1970s and died in 2022 [4].
Children
Lillias and Harrill had four children:
Lisa Bjornson
Born December 12, 1959 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lisa married Philip Glen on December 12, 2012. She had two previous marriages. Philip died on February 28, 2025 [5]. Lisa has no children. She owns and operates real estate agencies in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, B.C., serving as managing broker of Royal LePage Black Tusk Realty [6] [7].
Sean Kristinn Bjornson
Born January 21, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta. Sean married Stacy McColl in July 1997. He is now retired. He previously was an independent insurance adjuster and owned his own company, Bjornson & Company Claims Adjusters Ltd, which he founded in 2011.
Sean has two children from a prior relationship:
- Matthew Kristinn Bjornson — Born June 25, 1985 in North Vancouver. Matthew has two children:
- Connor Henry Bjornson — Born December 15, 2011 in North Vancouver.
- Logan Alouis Bjornson — Born December 15, 2011 in North Vancouver. Connor and Logan are twins.
- Tyson Torchy Bjornson — Born February 12, 1989 in North Vancouver. Tyson has two children in a relationship with Riley Grimshaw:
- Ellie May Bjornson — Born April 9, 2024 in North Vancouver.
- Wyatt Philip Bjornson — Born August 21, 2025 in North Vancouver.
Kit Royden Bjornson
Born June 19, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kit married Judy Wells in spring 1990. He is a high school geography teacher.
Kit and Judy have two children:
- Chris Bjornson — Born May 25, 1991 in North Vancouver.
- Leah June Bjornson — Born August 20, 1993 in North Vancouver. Leah is a media professional who has worked as Executive Producer (Western Canada) at Postmedia Network and previously as Managing Editor of Hive Labs at Daily Hive [8]. She married David Dyck in June 2022. They have one child:
- Freya Lillias Dyck — Born September 29, 2024 in Vancouver.
Lee Charles Bjornson
Born September 20, 1965 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lee married Kathleen Michele Baba in July 1991.
Lee has one child from a previous relationship:
- James Fletcher Botto — Born December 20, 1988 in North Vancouver.
Lee has another child from his marriage with Kathy:
- Kiyomi Lillias Bjornson — Born May 6, 1995 in North Vancouver.
Lee is an independent insurance adjuster with his own company.
Summary of descendants
Lillias has four children: Lisa, Sean, Kit, and Lee.
Six grandchildren: Matthew, James, Tyson, Chris, Leah, and Kiyomi.
Five great-grandchildren: Connor, Logan, Ellie, Freya, and Wyatt.
Sources
- Ron Currie
- Marilyn Hermiston
- Email from Lillias Bjornson to Michael Currie, February 2026