Obituary for
Maria Holuk (Leinweber)
Holuk; Maria
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Maria Holuk. She died peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, on September 30, 2018 at the age of 90.
Beloved wife of the late Jakob Holuk, beloved mother of John (Nina Swider), Irene (Stephen Kohut), Cathy (Brian McCarthy) and devoted and proud grandmother of Andriy and Stefan.
She was born in Bački Brestovac, Yugoslavia on November 26, 1927. She landed in Halifax, Canada in 1951 and arrived in Ottawa by train on a surprisingly frosty Christmas morning to start a new life. She made friends everywhere she went but had a special place in her heart for her friends in the Ukrainian community who adopted her as one of their own. In turn, she showed her love by contributing many hours in many ways – fundraising, cooking with the ladies in the church kitchen, making traditional costumes for folk dancing, and sewing draperies for the church hall. Most recently she extended her caring, knitting hats for orphans in Ukraine and earning the title of the “hat knitting Babusia” from Canada.
She was a loving and compassionate mother who always put her children and grandchildren first. She lived for the visits from her grandchildren. They were her greatest joy in life and she had a very special bond with both of them whether she was playing baseball with Andriy or having a private session on the exercise bike followed with a cereal breakfast with Stefan when they were young.
She was incredibly strong and a resilient woman who always had a kind word and a positive attitude, no matter the challenge. She loved to learn new things and learned to drive, swim and paint in her later years. She loved baseball and puzzles and dominated family members when playing Skip-Bo and Yahtzee, much to her delight. She enjoyed baking, and was famous for her donuts and apple strudel.
Her smile and caring nature attracted everyone to her and she was dearly loved by her friends and family. Her sharp wit and wonderful sense of humour was intact until the very end. Maria worked very hard all her life and now can get the rest and peace she deserves.
She will be deeply missed.
A special thank you to the staff and residents at the Empress for their friendship and support over the past eleven years. And heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful nursing staff at the Queensway Carleton Hospital for their kindness and compassion during her final days.
Visitation West Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 150 Woodroffe Ave., at (Richmond Road) on Thursday, October 4th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. including Panachyda (a prayer service) at 8:00 p.m. Funeral Service to be held at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, 1000 Byron Avenue on Friday at 10 a.m. Interment at the parish cemetery (1888 Merivale Road) and reception to follow at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation or Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Maria
Holuk Leinweber 1927 2018.
Décès pour la Ville: Ottawa, Province: Ontario
