MARY LEONTOWICZ

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MARY LEONTOWICZ October 17, 1919 - February 25, 2013 Our hearts are full of love for our mother and grandmother who passed peacefully at the age of 93. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Mary Eljazhow (Eliass) moved to Poland living outside Lublin after the First World War. The family lived in a log house chinked with clay and straw with mud floors where her father purchased 12 parcels of land near the Poviat of Rudki. Leaving Lublin with her grandmother Rowski, mother Anna, father Nicolas, sisters Sophie and Olga, and brothers John and Romko, Mary landed in Canada in 1926, via the Cunnard White-Star Lines. With the North Atlantic beating against the ship the children played in cargo nets marvelling at the large fish tossing against the portholes. Upon settling in Narol, MB, our mother would dream about the gentle rolling hills and warmer climate back home where she used to pick pears in her aunt's fruit orchard. Mary was a Canadian pioneer who worked the land, hitching horses to haul tamarack out of the forest for the family's log house, drilling holes, putting in spikes, and building up walls. Speaking Polish and Ukrainian Mary learned her lessons in English but was eventually pulled out of Donald School to work her father's land. She was a gifted seamstress who at 14 designed and sewed a dress for the passing of her beloved grandmother. Mary moved to Timmins, ON, after marrying George Leontowicz in 1942 and in 1947, returned to Manitoba to a home built by our father in Transcona. Ablaze with colour Mary's flower garden was perfumed with the sweet smells of rose, peony, lily, and phlox. At 40 years of age, Mary took charge of family and home when she was predeceased by her husband in 1959, and was known to: strip paint with a blowtorch and paint the entire house on an extension ladder; do her own roof repairs; and remove trees. Our food was fresh from the garden and we savoured the hearty, rustic meals replete with her European pastries. Aside from the home, Mary worked at Woolco Fabrics, Kowalski's Catering, and Dal's Restaurant. Our beautiful mother was endlessly patient and her devotion to family was absolute. Cherished by her children: Judy (John) Trojack; Peter Leontowicz; and Shirley Leontowicz (Neil Ball) and grandchildren: Jayne Trojack (Mark Shead), Jill (Peter) Price, and Nelson and Garnet Ball as well as her: brother Julius (Mary) Eliass, sister-in-law Jean, and nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her siblings: Sophie (Bill) Kotowich, John (Mary) Eliass, Romko Eliass, Olga (Pete) Sulkers, and Rudolph Eliass. Having laid our mother's ashes to rest we will honour Mary's life on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Family and friends are invited to attend a commemorative service and tea at the Wheeler Funeral Home, Cemetery Crematorium, 1800 Day St., in Transcona at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Canadian Diabetes Association. Funeral Arrangements in Care of Wheeler Funeral Home, Cemetery & Crematorium 1800 Day Street 224-1525

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 27, 2013