Obituary of JANINA WOJCIK

JANINA WOJCIK

On the evening of April 19, 2018 with family by her side, Janina Wojcik peacefully passed away at the age of 95. Janina will be lovingly remembered by daughters Christine (Richard) Zurawski, and Leona Keenas (Don Schellrude), daughter in law Darlene, grandchildren Michelle (Jeff) Mialkowski, Kristy-Ann (Joseph) Duncan, Kyle Wojcik, Dylan (Michelle) Keenas and great grandchildren Alfred, Lucy, Jakob and Nathaniel. Janina’s extended family in Canada includes: nephews Ted (Teresa) Wojcik, Henry (Pat) Wojcik, and Mark (Dorota) Wojcik, grandnieces Cecilia (Julian) Kolt, Ania Wojcik, Jeannette Wojcik and grandnephew, Christopher Wojcik. Janina will be remembered by family in Poland and England. Janina was predeceased by her parents, Juzefa and Piotr Kowalski, husband Jozef, son Edward, godson Richard, granddaughter Angela, and son-in-law David.

Janina was born in Poland June 19, 1922, growing up in a small rural community. In September 1939, she was taken into forced labour farm work in Germany during WWII. After the war she applied for, and immigrated to Canada. She set forth to her new life in 1947. Upon arriving in Halifax, she boarded a train that brought her to Brandon, Manitoba. When she arrived, she was assigned a housekeeping aide position at Brandon Hospital for Mental Diseases. The rural Polish community of Brandon made many multiple and early efforts to welcome all the newcomers to the community. They would regularly offer Polish social evenings of dancing and singing on weekends, and this is where Janina met her husband, and life partner Jozef. Janina and Jozef partook in Polish folk dancing and singing while learning about the new community and country they immigrated to. The couple were married in 1948, and moved to Winnipeg to plant the roots of their family tree, having three children: Christine, Edward and Leona. They joined the congregation of St. John Cantius Church, and while raising their family, Janina and Jozef became involved with Royal Canadian Legion 246, where through her life, she held several terms as President. She continued to be employed as a housekeeping aide mainly within the healthcare sector, ending her career with Marymound School, retiring at age 65 in 1987.

Janina and Jozef were married for 38 years. She said good-bye to him too soon in February 1987 when he passed away from cancer. One of his dying wishes was that the new Oldsmobile that had recently been purchased, not remain parked, and Janina learn to drive, as her husband and buses were her only known sources of transportation. Newly widowed and retired, she studied, trained and practiced the new skill of driving, and at the age of 65, Janina became a licensed driver. This allowed her the freedom to leave her home and remain reliant on herself for her needs. Her early retired years were also spent with friends on many Dynasty Tour trips to casinos in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Janina enjoyed spending her retired summers at Hillside Beach, and going to the woods to hunt mushrooms and pick blueberries. In the early years of her retirement, she would spend weeks at a time with only her grandchildren, and grandniece, mini-golfing, eating ice cream and walking to the beach. Janina continued to forage in the wild with family until she was 91.

Her entire life, she was known for her self-taught passion in the kitchen. Many of her recipes were made from memory. Due to her early life experiences of both the depression and WWII, she would never waste a scrap of food. She would find ways to turn last night’s supper into a soup or casserole, or bake aging bananas into a quick batch of muffins. She loved baking, and a visit to her home always ensured you went home full. When she knew she had to accomplish tasks like cooking or baking for holidays like Christmas or Easter, she would rise at 6 am, and cook and clean straight through until 3 pm, fuelled solely by coffee and tenacity. She had a laser focus when it came to any task she faced.

Her family would like to thank the staff at the Middlechurch nursing home for the care they gave Janina for the last 3.5 years. Special recognition to her nurses, Tracy and Halina.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m., with Viewing/Rosary half hour prior, at St. John Cantius Roman Catholic Church, 846 Burrows Avenue. Interment to follow in Holy Ghost Cemetery, 4387 Main Street.