Helen SLOMIANY

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SLOMIANY:(nee Biczak) Helen Frances, June 17, 1934 - April 28, 2013. We said good-bye to our dear wife, mother, nana, aunt and friend on May 2, 2013, with a service at Memories Chapel, officiated by Very Rev. Fr. Jerzy Urbanski of St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church. Lector Lloyd Dyck assisted. Helen’s favourite hymns were played, and the service ended with the “Helen Polka” at the request of her dear husband Joe. Helen passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully, on April 28, 2013. She probably would say, in her charming, yet somewhat cheeky way, that “she’d had the biscuit”. We can still hear her laughing at her own funny sayings, the antics of her cherished grandchildren, or when teasing her dear husband Joe. Helen always looked on the bright side of things and was a source of encouragement to her family and friends. She and Joe would have been married for 57 years on June 9 of this year. They were true soul mates connected by the same values, culture and commitment to social justice. Always a fun couple, they enjoyed dancing, bowling, get-togethers, gardening, and travelling with their children. They were devoted to each other. Joe was her protector and she leaned on him; he in turn gained strength from her. They were such a comfort to one another. Besides her beloved husband Joe, Helen is survived by her loving and grateful children, Wanda (Michaelangello), Wally (Jenny); her cherished grandchildren Benjamin, Jeremy and Claire; her special nieces and nephews and their growing families of whom she was so proud, and many good friends, old and new. Helen was predeceased by her precious infant son Leonard (Lenny). Dear family members who also predeceased her were: parents Leonard and Mary (Koziol) Biczak; parents-in-law Walter and Anelia Slomiany; sisters Jean Faires and Mary Kozlowski and in-laws Ludwik Kozlowski, Stan and Sophie Wasowicz. Always important to Helen were her family and friends; her church; her Polish heritage and community; and her commitment to social justice. So proud of her Polish heritage, and a talented keeper of tradition, Helen first spoke Polish, only learning English when she went to school. She maintained her fluency in her first language and kept family ties strong by staying in contact with relatives in Poland. She danced for many years as a teenager and young woman with her friends in her church’s cultural dance group. Helen was honored by her last employer, McKenzie’s, receiving the President’s Award, and by the NDP for her work, along with Joe, as recipients of the Pioneer and Lucille Ono awards. Her family is very proud of her. Helen treated everyone so well - always smiling, with a kind word to strangers and friends. Modest, dignified and careful with everyone’s feelings, Helen never wanted to offend; she was always ready to help out in any way she could. She always seemed to know just the right thing to do and say. Helen was born on Burrows Avenue in Winnipeg’s storied north end - a reunion baby for her parents - her dad had come to Canada to seek a better life. The family moved to the Kirkfield area of Winnipeg - where she grew up with a love of nature and gardening. Helen loved all animals, especially her cairn terriers Skitter and now Koko. She attended high school at Isaac Newton; her years in Winnipeg brought her friendships with some lovely people with whom she kept in touch until the end. Helen was a spiritual woman with a strongly held faith; she was a lifelong member of the Polish National Catholic Church, first at St. Mary’s in Winnipeg, and then at St. Joseph’s in Brandon. Her faith was important to her, and it sustained her. Helen loved music and she sang for many years in the choirs of both St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s. Like many women of her generation, Helen worked hard, yet never complained. She began work after high school in Winnipeg at McDonald Brother’s, in the office, and then at Standard Dairies until her marriage. In Brandon, she was with Modern Dairies for many happy years, and made many friends. She left work to be at home with her children, until 1977 at McKenzie Seeds, from where she retired in 1994. Helen as a mom was exceptional. She was patient, kind, fair yet firm. Her family never wanted for anything. Her many special little touches let her children know she always cared. She became more than a mom - she was a confidant and a friend to her children and their spouses. She was blessed to have three beautiful, healthy grandchildren grace her life for these past ten years. Children of all ages were special to Helen - and she showed her love and support to her nieces and nephews, and others… just as if they were her own. Throughout her life, Helen kept young at heart - she was always current with world events, fashion, and entertainment. She had a keen eye for decorating - and her homes always looked lovely. Helen was very well known as a wonderful cook and amazing hostess - you never went hungry at her house. She loved to cook for her family - especially making favourite foods for her grandchildren - or sending them home with a bag of her incomparable homemade pierogies. She enjoyed almost twenty years of a relatively healthy retirement, for which her family is so thankful, and she filled those years with such energy. Helen had a long association with the Sokol; she and Joe were mainstays of the Sokol over all these years. She served in many capacities, and volunteered countless enjoyable hours there. It was no surprise that her organizational skills allowed the Sokol’s 100th Anniversary celebration held on May 4, 2013 to flourish. Helen was committed to social justice - she worked tirelessly through her long involvement with the New Democratic Party, and specifically the Brandon NDP Women’s Association. Long an advocate for equality and fairness, she lived her principles by showing her caring nature and her support of causes that improved people’s lives directly. She and Joe were guided by the words of one of the founders of the CCF, J.S. Woodsworth, who said “what we desire for ourselves, we wish for all.” Helen wished for peace and an ease to the suffering she saw in this world. And now our dear Helen has earned her rest and her ease.“…Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21)”“Wieczne odpoczywanie racz jej da’c Panie.” To my Helen… To our mom… …we will love you forever and miss you always.Joe and Family.

As published in Brandon Sun on May 18, 2013