Obituary of Elena Pashniak

BIOGRAPHY PASHNIAK ~ Elena Pashniak passed away peacefully at the Lloydminster Hospital, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at the age of 89 years. Elena will be sadly missed by her children: Edward and Georgina Pashniak of Lloydminster, Gladys and Joe Marciniw of Lloydminster, Angeline and Lorrence Aplin of Alix, Diane and Arnold Heselwood of Lloydminster, Rodney and Sandee Pashniak of Lloydminster, Glen and Debra Pashniak of Marwayne, Darlene and Merlin Kugler of Calgary, Elaine and Mike Needham of Chestermere, Lorraine Irwin and Bryan of Red Deer, Phyllis and Randy Lamport of Islay; thirty grandchildren, thirty four great grandchildren and two sisters: Sophie Maskalyk and Olga Woloshyn. The prayer service for Elena was conducted from the McCaw Funeral Chapel, Lloydminster, Alberta on Monday, July 14, 2008 at 7:00 P.M. with Reverend Harold Martin officiating. The funeral service for Elena was conducted from the Grace United Church, Lloydminster, Alberta on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10:00 A.M. with Reverend Harold Martin officiating. A eulogy was given by Gladys Marciniw. The hymn sung was "Amazing Grace" accompanied on the organ by Irene Knowlson. Marlene Risling sang "Here I Am", "How Great Thou Art" and "In The Garden" accompanied on the piano by Donna Weston. Active pallbearers were Cameron Aplin, Dwayne Marciniw, Logan Pashniak, Riley Pashniak, Jeremy Pashniak, Taurean Kugler, Shane Heselwood, Denise Hirsch, Teasha Kugler and Trina Lamport. Interment was held at the Lloydminster City Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy - by Gladys Marciniw We would like to thank all of you for coming here today to help us as a family to heal and to celebrate our mother's life. Mom had a very strong faith in a loving God. As she lay in the hospital she prayed, "please forgive my sins". She passed away very peacefully. No amount of words can convey the love we feel for our Mother, our Baba, our great Baba - What a wonderful woman she was and how much we will miss her. She was born in Musidora, Alberta on February 19, 1919 and was the middle child of Mike and Maria Paulichuk in a family of nine children. They worked hard on the farm picking roots and rocks in the field, berry picking, gardening and farm chores. She became friends with Harry Pashniak who lived 12 miles away from their family. The families knew each other well and Dad and Mom fell in love. Dad was enlisted in the army and was posted to Ontario. They wrote many love letters to each other and missed each other dreadfully. As time went on, Dad arranged a three week furlough so they could get married. On March 12, 1943, Dad in his soldier suit and Mom in her pretty white dress, said their vows in Vegreville. Dad had to go back for duty and Mom went with him. She became friends with all the other soldiers' wives. They were so happy. After being in the army for many years, Dad was transferred to BC and Mom stayed with her parents in Musidora. When Dad left the army, they farmed in Musidora and later moved to Marwayne and bought a farm. Mom dedicated her entire life being a homemaker. Mom planted a huge garden on the farm. Each year she would preserve over 100 quarts of Saskatoon fruit. We would pick pincherries, chokecherries, cranberries and Mom would make jams and jellies. Mom was a very hard worker. She baked bread every second day. She would stook in the field, milk cows and look after chickens. She always cooked wonderful meals including pyrogies, cabbage rolls, studenetz and many other Ukrainian dishes. She taught us valuable life lessons and how to work hard. She showed us through her examples and the sacrifices she made. All ten of us have always admired Mom for the generous, loving way she lived. She gave encouragement to each of her children and understood the richness that a close-knit family brings. When we look back upon our lives, no matter when or where, every age, Mom was always encouraging us. She was always incredibly supportive, making us feel safe and loved. Her pride in her children was very obvious. She was our biggest fan always cheering for us, helping us bear our stresses. Mom would always have presents for everyone at Christmas and birthdays and they were always wrapped. She liked to make candy bags for the kids and always had lots of toys in her house. Mom was so thoughtful and kind. She filled our family life with happy times and laughter. Mom brought special beauty to the lives around her with her humor and love for people. She loved to joke around. She loved Ukrainian music especially the fiddle. She would whistle, tap her feet and sway to the music. She would drive her little car around the country selling Avon and sold Avon for over 25 years. "I just love talking to different people", she would say. She knitted many mitts and scarves, crocheted afgans, did macramé and made many of the most beautiful quilts. Many Saturday mornings she would show up at 7:30 in the morning at someone's home and start tooting her car horn. She would yell out, "Come on - let's go to garage sales.!" She took great joy creating and collecting pysankas, the beautiful colorful Easter eggs.One of Mom's favorite things to do was to go fishing. She wasn't fussy about eating them. "I sure love to catch the big ones", she would say. She would keep her tackle box and fishing rod in her car all the time. There wasn't anything that she wouldn't try putting on the end of her hook to try and land a fish. Before the boat would even stop, she would always have the line in the water. She was a pillar to her family and will be sadly missed by: Edward and Georgina Pashniak and their children Denise, Rhonda and Dean; Gladys and Joe Marciniw and their children Brenda, Tracy, Shawna, Michelle, Dwayne and Jolene; Angeline and Lorrence Aplin and their children Cameron, Wyonna and Tara; Diane and Arnold Heselwood and their children Charla, Shandra, Luanna and Shane; Rodney and Sandee Pashniak and their children Lorena, Logan and Riley; Glen and Debra Pashniak and their children Nicole, Lydia, Danelle and Jeremy; Darlene and Merlin Kugler and their children Taurean and Teasha; Elaine and Mike Needham and their children Chelsey and Kaylee; Lorraine Irwin and Bryan and children Ashley and Aaron; Phyllis and Randy Lamport and their child Trina …….. plus thirty-four great grandchildren and their extended families; two sisters, Sophie Maskalyk and Olga Woloshyn. Having a Mother like Mom was truly one of God's most beautiful blessings. Her energy for life was amazing. Her pride and loyalty to her family was unfailing. We praise our Mother in our hearts, for her strength, her caring and loving ways, her gentle touch. She made our lives more fulfilling and our gratitude is very deep for such a wonderful mother! 1 Corinthians 1:4 says "I give thanks to God always for You." We will see you in Heaven, Mom! This is a tribute to our Baba from all her grandchildren. We remember a grandmother who used to chew on our ears when we gave her hugs. We remember a grandmother who used to laugh so hard she would cry when you tickled her knees. We remember a grandmother who would let us root through her generous selection of Avon samples. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who always had enough toys in her basement for however many grandchildren were visiting. We remember a grandmother who would also let us make toys of her special ornaments. We remember a grandmother who had candy in every dish in her living room. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who would never forget a birthday…we all got two presents at Christmas, one for our birthday and one for the holiday. We remember a grandmother who made sure that Santa was there to give Christmas gifts of candy bags and pajamas to every one of her grandchildren. We remember a grandmother who would let us take baths in her tub with her bubble maker. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who slept on rock hard pillows, but had the softest heart when she let us crawl into bed with her because the couch was too lonely. We remember a grandmother who always had enough bedding and places to sleep, no matter how many grandchildren wanted to stay over. We remember a grandmother who would watch us slide down the stairs to her basement on our bums. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who would make the best perogies and cabbage rolls, and would let us help her if we wore babushkas. We remember a grandmother who was always cooking in the kitchen and asking everyone if they'd had enough to eat. We remember a grandmother who could use the phrase, "yoy-yoy-yoy" in any situation. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who drove with the pedal to the metal. We remember a grandmother who would stop by early on Saturday mornings to take us to garage sales. We remember a grandmother who would wrinkle her nose whenever she didn't like something. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who always had a fishing rod and tackle in the back seat of her little blue car, in case the fish were biting. We remember a grandmother who never wanted the boat to leave without her as she was "going to catch the big one". We remember a grandmother who loved Chinese food, and always enjoyed going out to dinner with her family. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who loved going to the mall with her grandchildren. We remember a grandmother who we all took our significant others to meet because she was such a good judge of character. We remember a grandmother who would encourage her newly married grandsons to "hurry up and let the horse out of the barn" to give her another great grandchild. We called that grandmother Baba. We remember a grandmother who loved each and every one of us, and who we loved dearly. We called that grandmother Baba. Card Of Thanks Elena's family would like to deeply express their thanks and appreciation to Doctor Snyman and Doctor Kerlis and the caregivers at the Dr. Cooke Extended Care Centre. Thank you to the ambulance attendants for their care and attention. Thank you to Reverend Harold Martin, organist Irene Knowlson, pianist Donna Weston and soloist Marlene Risling for creating such a memorable service to honor Elena. Thank you to everyone who sent cards, made donations, attended the funeral and to everyone who sent their kind thoughts and prayers. The Elena Pashniak Families Donations in memory of Elena may be made to the charity of the donors choice.