TEKLA (TEENA) ZYLA

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TEKLA (TEENA) ZYLA (nee KOWAL) November 24, 1923 - May 25, 2014 On Sunday evening, with family at her side, Teena passed away peacefully at the age of 90. Tekla was born on November 24, 1923, one of seven children and the only surviving daughter born to Michael Kowal and Maria (Pankewycz) in the village of Podilci in Western Ukraine. She was able to bring to life for herself and us, her memories of growing from child to womanhood in the telling and re-telling of the stories of her happy early life. But war broke out in September 1941; Tekla not yet 18 years of age, was transferred to Germany where she worked as a forced labourer on a farm until the end of the war. Her family was shipped off and scattered across Siberia. She never saw her father again, nor what remained of her family until her first trip back to her village in 1970. She made several trips back including one in 1979 when she took with her, her son and daughters, who on this one occasion were able to spend a few hours with their grandmother. At the end of the war she found her way to the UNRA displaced persons' camp in Bayreuth, Germany. There she met and married Nicholas, her beloved husband of more than 60 years, and daughter Daria was born. In 1949, sponsored by her husband's uncle, Harry Zyla, they immigrated to Canada. After Nicholas secured permanent employment at Manitoba Rolling Mills, the family settled first in East Selkirk. In 1953 they, with help from friends, built their first house in West Selkirk. In Germany after the war Teena trained to be a practical nurse but in Canada at the time there was no opportunity for her to pursue nursing and so she applied herself to raising her three children and working in restaurants, market gardens and a hotel - she was not afraid of hard work and throughout her life always worked very hard at everything she did, teaching her children by her example. She was an avid reader and in fact learned a great deal of English from reading Harlequin romances which she so enjoyed. She also liked to read history and keep up with current affairs. In her prime she loved to dance and she always loved to sing; she had a beautiful alto voice and knew many of the old folksongs. She enjoyed the beauty of flowers, especially red geraniums, a constant feature in her front flower beds, and lilies in the back. She was proud of her heritage and supported numerous Ukrainian cultural and social groups and proudly displayed traditional Ukrainian folk-art in her home. Teena was a religious woman and she and Nicholas were founding members of Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Selkirk. She sang in the choir and volunteered for the church throughout her life. Teena and Nicholas were always generous in their hospitality. Family, good friends and relatives will fondly remember the Christmas dinners that they hosted for many years. Neighbours and visitors rarely left without a share of the bounty from their garden or pantry. Always fiercely independent, Teena and Nicholas continued living at home and gardening until 2009 when Teena's health deteriorated and Nicholas could no longer look after her. Nicholas passed away in June 2010 and Teena lived on at Holy Family Home. She leaves to cherish her memory, daughter Daria and son Zachary of Winnipeg; son John and children Adam, Stephen, and Alycia of Winnipeg; and daughter Natalie (Blaine) Morien and their sons Michael and Christopher of Saskatoon. She will also be remembered by Norma Zyla, the wife of Nicholas' cousin Peter Zyla and their daughters, Pamela and Michelle; Nicholas' cousin Helen Kaminski and family of Beausejour; the surviving members of the Rozak family of Poplarfield, and many beloved nieces and nephews in Ukraine. The family would like to thank the staff of St. Francis unit at Holy Family Nursing Home and Unit 7 at Seven Oaks Hospital for their care and compassion. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 2, 2014 at Holy Eucharist Church, corner of Pacific Avenue and Sophia Street in Selkirk. Interment will follow at All Saints Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Teena's memory may be made to the Holy Eucharist Church, Holy Family Home or a charity of your choice. She was a beautiful woman with many virtues, chief among them being kindness, modesty, humility and honesty. We have been blessed to have had her in our lives for so many years...she was our warm hearth, our strength. She was loved, is loved and will be greatly missed. "Bound in the beating of each other's heart, mothers and children are never parted." Vichnaya Pamyat - Rest in Peace Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements. www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 28, 2014