Mary Wasylkiw

Mary was born September 1, 1920 to John and Pearl Popowich in the Whitesand area near Good Spirit lake.  She was one of 12 siblings (2 died in infancy) 7 girls and 3 boys. She attended North Lake School and then went to work for various families.  She was a great cook  and seamstress and always had to be busy.  She met Paul Wasylkiw and they married June 1, 1947.  Together they bought a farm northeast of Theodore and raised a family of four, Daniel, Diana, Irene and Gloria.  In December, 1959 Paul suddenly died leaving mom to parent alone.  She rented the land and we moved to Theodore where she worked hard to support us.  In 1968 we moved to Yorkton as siblings were already working there.  Mom worked in restaurants and then housekeeping at the hospital till retirement. 

She enjoyed knitting , sewing, cooking and most of all her grandchildren.  She loved the color blue and was always wearing it that even our twin grandsons called her “blue baba”.  Every day she’d take the city bus to the mall for coffee with friends. She enjoyed coming to the farm to help Gloria with farmers’ markets, pinching perogies and rolling cabbage rolls. She lived in an apartment from 1968 to December 2017 when failing health made her a resident at Foam Lake Jubilee Home which she loved.  She especially enjoyed folding towels which she referred to as “all my work”. She worked until the day she passed away on September 4th.  

Mom was predeceased by her parents, in-laws, husband Paul, son Daniel, daughter Irene and sons-in-law Jim Maahs and Ron Zapshala.  Also her sisters & brothers in-law: Dora (Mike) Biblow, Pauline (Bill) Chupa, Margaret (John) Lypny, Anne (Paul) Tzupa, and Nettie (John) Zurawell, and Matt Diakow.  Brothers and spouses:  Dan (Catherine), Mike (Margaret) and Bill (Olga).

Left to cherish her memory are daughters: Diana Zapshala, Gloria (Jeff) Zuchkan, and daughter-in-law Carolyn Wasylkiw. Five grandchildren:  Blaine (Nicole) Wasylkiw, Tasha (Peter) Bergman, Kendra (Ryan) Sims, Kurtis (Anika) Zuchkan, and Garrett Zuchkan.  Along with 12 great grandchildren and her sister Kay Diakow and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral for Mary was held on Monday September 9th, 2019 at St. Constantine and Helena Ukrainian Catholic Vaslovtz Church Buchanan, Sk with Fr. Joakin Rac officiating. Internment followed in St. Constantine and Helena Ukrainian Catholic Vaslovtz Cemetery.

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