TEREZIJA LEBAR

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TEREZIJA LEBAR

It is with deepest regrets and sadness that we announce the passing of Terezija Lebar on August 12, 2023, at the age of 88. Terezija was moved into comfort care at Poseidon Care Centre, where she resided, during the morning of August 12 and passed away peacefully a short time later.

Terezija is survived by her sons Bryen, (Patty Sauder), Mario (Kathleen) Lebar, both of Winnipeg, Tomislav (Karen) Lebar of Washington, PA, and Joseph (Tara) Lebar of Olathe, KS, and by grandchildren, Mark (Jamie), Erin (Nick), Sophia, James, Fiona of Winnipeg, Krista of Washington, PA, and Eric and Cameron of Olathe, KS, and also by great-grandchildren, Toby and Jacob (Mark and Jamie). She is also survived by her brother Slavko Geric of Delta, BC, and numerous nieces and nephews throughout Slovenia, Australia and other countries in Europe. She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Joseph Viktor Lebar, in 2000.

Terezija was born in the small village of Gornja Bistrica, Slovenia, on December 17, 1934, to Stefan and Ana Geric. Terezija was the seventh of eight children and life was difficult for most families during this time in the former Yugoslavia. When Terezija finished her schooling, she worked on the family farm and completed training to be a seamstress. She would use these skills abundantly later on in life. In her early 20s, she met and then eventually married the love of her life, Joseph Lebar, and they welcomed their first son Bryen in 1955. Like many before and many since, Terezija and her small family, through a large effort of their own and with the sponsorship of the Roman Catholic Church, were able to immigrate to Canada in 1957. Once arriving in Montreal by boat, they had a train ticket punched for Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When they arrived in Winnipeg, both she and Joseph took any job they could find, since again, times were difficult in the North End of Winnipeg. Joseph settled into construction work and Terezija relied on her seamstress skills to work in the industry.

In 1961, after a great deal of hard work and saving, and another child on the way, they realized the dream of home ownership, and bought a house on Horace Street in St. Boniface. Terezija lived there for 53 years, until 2014, when for her benefit she moved into assisted living. If anyone walked by 286 Horace St., they always stopped and commented on Terezija’s beautiful flower gardens. Growing flowers was a passion of hers and she spent countless hours beautifying her yard and the neighbourhood with them. Terezija’s other passion around the house was her backyard garden. She spent many hours digging, planting, nurturing, watering and then reaping the benefits of her hard work with fresh vegetables for her family and neighbours.

Terezija spent a number of years as a seamstress but also as a stay-at-home mother, monitoring her four sons’ school activities. As Joseph’s construction company started to expand, she helped with office duties. Terezija dedicated much of her spare time to the Catholic Church. Terezija and her family were part of a small, tight-knit Slovenian community centered around Our Lady of Lourdes Church. The church and its community became a central part of Terezija and her family’s life. Terezija volunteered at Folklorama’s Slovenian Pavilion as a dance instructor for the children’s group Zvoncek in the early years, cultural-display organizer and kitchen supervisor later on, and, many times, as a mentor to the younger generation of cooks and pastry chefs. Terezija was highly regarded for her cooking skills and pastry making which led to many calls for her expertise when items were being made. Although Terezija never really wrote down recipes, her daughters-in-law tried to write them down as best they could but the amounts changed every time. Terezija also enjoyed being part of the Catholic Women’s League as well as going to church most Sundays and singing hymns. Terezija and Joseph established lifelong friendships during this time, and it is on those relationships we will now rely on to get through these tough times.

In 1985, Terezija started a new role in her life - Nana, to her first grandchild Mark. In this role, which would be repeated many times over, she cooked, treated, taught and cared for her grandchildren in the way only she could. She took them for walks to the park, played front yard baseball with them, took them for ice cream and made them feel special.

Terezija lived a good and full life, made a difference to those she knew, made everyone she met feel special and gave all of herself to her family. The Lebar family would like to thank the staff at Poseidon Care Centre for their love and care of Terezija during the last few years.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 95 MacDonald Ave., followed by Christian burial at Green Acres Cemetery. A light lunch will be provided at Our Lady of Lourdes Church hall following the burial. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 16, 2023