1913 : Violetta Teresa Giovanna Balestreri Archer was born on April 24th in Montreal, Canada
1914 : She traveled to Como, Italy with her mother to meet her older brothers who were living there. They were all meant to go back to Montreal, but World War I made the return journey impossible.
1919 : Violet and her mother returned to Montreal in July. Her brothers finally joined the family in December.
1922 : Violet's parents gifted her a piano. Her sister Carolina was born.

1929 : After years spent learning how to play the piano, she started experimenting and working on her own compositions. One her first pieces was based on a poem by Lord Tennyson.
1934 : She obtained her teacher's licentiate from McGill university.
1936 : Violet earned a bachelor in music composition from McGill.
1936 : Intermezzo was the first composition of her own that she heard in a live performance.
1940 : The Balestreri family changed their surname to Archer.
1940 : She joined the Montreal Women's Symphony Orchestra, founded and conducted by Ethel Stark.
1941 : Her piece Britannia, a joyful overture was broadcast for the troops oversees by the BBC.
1942 : She went to New York City for private classes with composer Béla Bartók.
1942 : Her first piece was published : Three scenes for piano (habitant sketches).
1943 : Started teaching at McGill.
1947-1949 : She applied and was accepted to Yale School of Music. Went on to study with composer Paul Hindemith.
1950 : Violet was traveling in Europe, visiting her sister and searching for work.
1950-1953 : Teaching at North Texas State College.
1951 -1952 : Teaching summer classes at Cornell University.
1953-1961 : Assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma.
1962-1970 : Assistant professor + chairman of theory and composition at the University of Alberta
1970-1978 : She became a professor of music emerita at the University of Alberta
1973 : Violet took a 3-month course on electroacoustic music in London, United Kingdom.
1975 : Death of her beloved sister Carolina (Carolyn).
1978 : Retirement from her full-time position at the University of Alberta
1979-1983 : Highly productive period for composition, where she composed her opera The meal, among other pieces.
1983 : Awarded the Order of Canada
1985 : Violet Archer festival was held in Edmonton (with the premiere of her opera The Meal)
1987 : Canadian Music Center Prairie Region was renamed Violet Archer Library
1992 : Death of her brother Fernando (Ferd). 
1993 : To celebrate her 80th birthday, the carillon at the Peace tower in Ottawa rang out her Variations on an original theme for carillon.
1996 : Death of her brother Giovanni (John)
2000 : Violet died on February 21st in Ottawa, Canada

She was laid to rest at Beechwood cemetery in Ottawa

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More on her Wikipedia page and the Canadian Encyclopedia entry