Obituary of SOFIA GRYZ

A remarkable life ended gently and peacefully, at 8:00 a.m. on April, the 6th , as mom left the world she inhabited for almost 100 years. Wife for 64 years to her late husband, Walter, mother to 5 adoring and devoted children, Grandmother to 9, and Great-Grandmother to 15. Predeceased by her husband Walter, in 2010, Sofia leaves behind daughter Apolonia, granddaughter Monique; son Zbigniew ( Carol), granddaughter Marisa ( Troy ), great grandsons Jesse, Nicholas, Alexander, and great granddaughter Rose; granddaughter Anna ( Kirk ), great granddaughter Ava Lily, great grandsons Isaak and Oliver, grand¬daughter Meagan, great granddaughter Sophia, great grandson Gabriel, granddaughter Kathryn ( Dan ), great grandson Ethan; daughter Kristina; son Richard ( Val ), grand¬daughter Jennifer ( Ryan ), great grandsons Brett, Parker and Brenden; grandson Tyler, great grandsons lan, Ty and Kaleb, grandson Mike ( Heather ) great granddaughter Grace, and great grandson Mason, grandson Jason; son John ( Liz), granddaughters Samantha and Leah. Born Sofia Bialas on the 31st of May 1920, near the village of Cygany, to a happy, but poor, subsistence farming family of mother Katarzina, father Michal and 5 sisters & 1 brother. A sudden and permanent change in the trajectory of Sofia's life occurred in 1935. A poor crop in 1934 meant that there was not enough food to feed the entire family through the winter. So, at the age of 15, Mom had to leave home to work as a domestic to a more prosperous farming family in an adjacent village. A sister was sent to another family, also to work as a domestic. Blessed with a happy disposition and good social skills, she further honed those traits as she went from one challenge to another. Mom worked as a domestic until the outbreak of World War II when she was taken prisoner by the Nazis to work in a series of forced-labour camps in Germany throughout the war. It was in one of those Labour camps - converted to a Displaced Persons Camp - after the war, that she met and married Walter Gryz. The devastation of Poland during the War left little to return to in Poland, and so, they set off for Belgium, enticed by free transport to Belgium, guaranteed employment and housing. In time, this work - in a coal mine - was deemed to be too dangerous, and providing for a precarious future. So they uprooted, once again, this time to Winnipeg, arriving in 1951. While Walter sought and eventually found permanent and promising work with a newly formed roofing company - Aetna Roofing - Sofia was tasked with the care and upbringing of their then 3 children. Like most women of her time, Sofia's politics & values were contained & sustained within the confines of the home, with friends, within the Church, and with neighbours. But the values she manifested in her daily life provided us with powerful and universal lessons of unconditional love, hard work, and care of family members, compassion for others less fortunate, and respect for all. Her time in the Labour Camps of Nazi Germany taught her some powerful lessons, and she was a willing student: be happy with what you have, and not unhappy with what you don't have. She was, for all of us, a rock of Gibraltar; steady in her temperament and emotional strength, and an unwavering source of unconditional love, a provider of constant support and a warm and welcoming home. When she called us, by name, she wrapped the enunciation of each of our names, with a warm & gentle love. At the same time she gave us the freedom and confidence to explore the broader world outside the home, with delight and without fear. Dad was the wind to her sail, and when they worked together in full force, they were a magnificent sight to behold, navigating through the labour camps of Germany to the coal mines of Belgium, and then to the streets of Point Douglas. Like many before her, Mom steadfastly practiced unconditional love and care, long before it was conceptualized and enshrined in the literature of the Social Sciences. Her's was a life fully lived: with gentle love, glowing optimism, resilience, energy, passion, hard work, integrity, and a complete dedication to her family. She may have bent under the weight of her obligations, but she never wavered. She made the world a better place. Throughout her life she manifested remarkable powers of adaptation and resilience. These were in evidence right through to her final days at Holy Family Nursing Home. She led her family by example, through daily deeds, and with gentle words of direction. She was our Rock. She was our Sunshine... She was our Oxygen....our Joy. She was a remarkable woman, who led an exceptionally long, remarkable and good life. Her legacy will remain forever in our hearts. May she rest in peace. A special thank you to Kristina and Apolonia: Kristina for her loving care and dedication to Mom's well-being; and Apolonia for her constant vigil. We are ever so appreciative and grateful for the compassionate, loving and competent care provided at Holy Family Nursing Home. To the many who were so dedicated in providing her with that special care, we thank you with tremendous gratitude. A celebration of Sofia's life will be held at a later date, which we will announce, and invite all who were touched by her to attend.