PATRICIA MARY BEIKO

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PATRICIA MARY BEIKO

Today we celebrate the life of Patricia Mary Beiko, who passed away peacefully on August 21, 2022 surrounded by her children and loved ones.
She is survived by her sons, Sean (his wife Lisa) and Christopher (his partner Jamie) and her daughter Samantha (her husband Peter); her brother Arthur and sister-in-law Wendy; her grandchildren, Jillian and Wesley; her niece Diandra, and grandnephew Odin. She is predeceased by her parents, Hilda and Patrick Graham; and her grandparents, Bella and Arthur, and Dora and John, with whom she is now reunited.
Patricia was born on June 19, 1951 in Montreal, QC, where she lived with her family until moving to Winnipeg in 1956. Her father, Patrick, was a Sargeant with the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry, and served with honour in the Second World War as an ambulance driver. Her mother, Hilda, was a seamstress and hostess, who married Patrick only days before his deployment. Post-war, he and his family were moved to Winnipeg, where he worked in an administrative position for the Canadian Armed Forces, ultimately purchasing land on Elmhurst Road, where the family lived from 1966 until 2021.
Even as a child, Patricia was a gregarious social butterfly who fit in wherever she landed. Her schooling took place at St. Jean Brebeuf, St. Ignatius, and she was later a graduate of St. Mary's Academy. She was an excellent student, part of the drama club, an expert typist, Latin scholar, and book worm. Her empathetic and compassionate nature led her to pursue an interest in medicine, and often after school would work in food services at Misericordia Hospital as she underwent early health advocate education. After graduating St. Mary's in 1969, she became a registered nurse, a vocation that saw her looking after numerous adult patients, to becoming the head nurse and nursing supervisor for Children's Hospital at Health Sciences Centre, in the neonatal unit, for many years, later moving to geriatric care in personal care homes across the city. Throughout her nursing career, she received countless accolades, penned medical publications, and continued to give compassionate care until her retirement in 2002.
The same year she graduated high school, Patricia married Dennis William Beiko in a ceremony held at her alma mater, St. Jean Brebeuf. Dennis lived a street over from Patricia in Charleswood, and after four years of marriage, Patricia gave birth to Sean Patrick Beiko in 1973, followed by Christopher Mikhail Beiko in 1985, and Samantha Mary Beiko in 1989. A fourth child, sadly, was lost due to miscarriage in 1994.
Patricia raised her children with the same high energy, extreme empathy, and enormous heart that she devoted to every other area of her life. She drove them to and from school every single day, worked full time, and always made sure that holidays, birthdays, and even minor achievements were celebrated with the same level of complete joy, well into their adulthood. She would say that her children were her greatest happiness, and it showed in everything she did for them, as well as their friends, opening her home and table to those who needed it. She was, certainly, always her children's greatest cheerleaders, and took great pride in everything they did, great or small.
Patricia had an energy and charisma about her that led total strangers to feel comforted and warmed by her presence. She always made herself available to lend a helping hand to those who asked, and went out of her way to provide service to her community. She loved to talk, share stories, and was the family knowledge keeper. She kept up with the news religiously, enjoyed following the latest celebrity gossip, and had a love of Old Hollywood and vintage cars. She could name the make, year and model of any car passing by during cruise night.
She celebrated life with the same high spirit. "Any excuse for a party" was her motto, and she often dreamed up large social gatherings where food and love was in abundance. She adored Halloween and Christmas, and looked forward to any gathering where she was surrounded by friends and family. Even when her children went abroad to work or study, she celebrated them, and would talk to them for hours, gladly, to make them feel as if they were home.
Her greatest passion was her gardens, which she would keep meticulously, and were once featured in Canadian Home and Garden. She took great pride in her yard, and spent many hours outdoors enjoying nature. Dogs were also her constant companions, and she brought many home to join the family over the years; she is now also reunited with Sandy, Tammy, Brandy, Molly, Chelsea, and Annie, to whom she gave so much love in life.
While she experienced many highs in her 71 years, Patricia also dealt with lows; she endured a lifetime battle with manic depression, generational trauma, and loss. She always tried her best to push through for the sake of her family, and we are grateful for the years we had with her despite the many hardships that arose due to her tumultuous mental, and later physical, health.
Though she was small, she had an incredible personality, an enormous heart, and an endless capacity to dream for brighter days to come. This is amongst one of the greatest gifts she ever gave her children-a persevering spirit unmatched in her willingness to dream of a life filled with light.
In her later years, Patricia and Dennis legally separated, and Patricia was able to find comfort and care surrounded by the staff and residents of The Portsmouth Senior Living, for which she was grateful. She never stopped dreaming, and it is her family's abundant hope that she may at last find peace after giving so much of herself, and so much of her love.
Patricia's family wishes to thank the staff and medical team at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre, wards H7 and H6, who gave Patricia so much care and compassion in her final days. They ask that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the Canadian Mental Health Association, and/or Siloam Mission.
A service of remembrance will be held at St. Charles Parish on Friday, August 26 at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome to come and remember a singular woman who touched many lives.
Neil Bardal Funeral Centre in care of arrangements.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 24, 2022, Aug 25, 2022