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MARIA NESICH
Maria Nesich (nee Usco) passed away peacefully in the arms of her only child, Rita Green on August 26 after a long and productive life.
Maria’s was a quintessentially Canadian story. She was born in 1930 in a small village near the seaside in Istria, then a province of Italy. Forced from their home when the region was absorbed into Yugoslavia after the Second World War, Maria, her husband Aurelio, daughter Rita and most of her extended family became refugees just over the Italian border in Trieste. In 1957, the family emigrated. Some went to Australia, while Maria and her immediate family came to Canada. They settled in Winnipeg where the couple worked diligently to improve their lot, focusing on ensuring the education and future happiness of their daughter. The Nesich home soon became the center of a very active social scene with frequent gatherings of a large group of friends both from the old country, and from just down the street.
Three years after her beloved husband died in 1998, Maria moved to Vancouver to be near her daughter and her family. It was something of a rebirth for her. Maria was back living near the sea and making herself indispensable to everyone close to her. She bought an apartment in Point Grey close to her family and to Jericho Beach. She reconnected with old friends and acquaintances within the local Italian diaspora, and easily made new friends with whom she enjoyed long walks along the beach to Spanish Banks, taking yoga classes and attending musical concerts of all kinds. As always, Maria’s primary focus remained on caring for her family with whom she became closer with every passing day. She was fiercely independent, determined to be useful to everyone she knew and consistently grateful for all that life had to offer.
Maria was the cherished Mamma to Rita (Nick); much loved Nonna to granddaughter Julia (Sean) and grandson Graham (Chelsey); Bisnonna to great-granddaughters, Holly and Romy; and caregiver to Green family Labradors, Zoe and Buffy. She will also be deeply missed by her beloved sister Iolanda and brother Ferruccio of Trieste, Italy, her many nieces and nephews in Italy and Australia, and to her legions of friends everywhere.
A funeral service for Maria will be held next Friday, September 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 2465 Crown Street (at 10th Avenue) in Vancouver.
The family would like to sincerely thank the wonderful caregivers at Braddan Private Hospital in Kitsilano who took such amazing care of Maria in her final years. In lieu of flowers, donations to Maria’s favourite charity, the CNIB would be welcome.
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 16, 2023