Obituary for
Tina Kostiuk
Tina Kostiuk passed away peacefully in her 92nd year while surrounded by beloved family and friends.
Tina is lovingly remembered by her five children, Eileen Fortier, Shirley Kostiuk, Gail Kostiuk, Allan (Shirley) Kostiuk, and Debby (Nick) Sorbel; grandchildren, Christine, Katherine, Benjamin and Steven; and five great-grandchildren, Evelyn, Hazel, Cameron, Kate and Khloé.
Tina (Tatiana) Kostiuk was born in Sarrail, AB. Daughter to Stefan Shyian and Anna Zdrenyk, she was one of 13 children. Growing up on a farm, she came from humble beginnings where she worked hard helping her parents. Growing up, she would accompany her best friend Ann to school, walking five miles. She had a fond memory of trying to catch a rabbit with other school children by trying to encircle it with twigs and branches… they never did catch it. Her fondness for animals only grew over the years. She said there were so many times we wanted chewing gum, so we would venture deep into the forest sometimes almost getting lost, but we got our gum! Tina laughingly said, “When we would chew it, it would turn pink. We were unsure if the squirrels had anything to do with that!” She reminisced about playing house with her siblings, and said, “One neighbor brought broken dishes with a beautiful pattern on it. She wasn’t going to share with us, so in our make-believe kitchen we had no dishes, just a few rocks to mark the division of the house.” Tina said, she loved how things were so peaceful back then. Later…
As a young 18 year old, Tina travelled to Edmonton and worked at Paris Cafe where she met Peter Kostiuk, a young 20 year old from Mountain Road, MB. She said he used to sit in her section and put her tip in a glass of water flipped upside down on the table. To get her tip, she would end up with water all over the table and floor. Their courtship continued after Peter returned from working as a railroad employee in British Columbia. A year later, they were married on September 10, 1948 at St. John’s Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church, Tina was 19 and Peter was 21. Soon after they started a family.
Tina was introduced to the Bible by her brother sometime in the 50s. Although not a religious person, she said when she started reading it, she realized it was special and had to be from God. She started studying, “what I was learning was very new to me. God‘s promise of a hope for the future with blessings of no more sickness or death, and that we could live on this earth in paradise conditions forever really appealed to me.” Soon after she was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on March 15, 1958. By showing goodness and kindness in her life as Galatians 5:22 says, she was overjoyed when her husband Peter and several family members joined her in her faith. By putting complete trust in her loving creator, she was able to endure many challenges and difficulties throughout her life. Jehovah was her strength and her helper. She had complete trust and confidence in him. He was her comfort and joy. She said I was determined to be loyal to Jehovah my creator and give him praise serving him even forever (Revelation 2:11).
Tina will be remembered as a generous and kind woman, providing a place to stay for relatives or just inviting family or friends to come over for a traditional Ukrainian meal. Her delicious waffles were famous as were her tasty rhubarb squares and crab apple jelly. Tina never turned anyone away and always had an extra chair to pull in around the table. This love for people extended to caring for nieces and nephews and neighbourhood children after school.
She was artistic and creative and in her spare time, she would design beautiful home decor items, knit sweaters left-handed and sew dresses for her daughters. Tina was a dedicated and compassionate woman and was well respected among her friends and extensive family of brothers and sisters. Tina often travelled to the Okanagan for summer vacations with her family and would preserve fruits from Kelowna as well as vegetables from her large garden. Many remember Tina as a devoted and dedicated mother who loved her camera and enjoyed being the official family photographer, as well as a gentle and kind Christian sister who appreciated her friends, brothers and sisters. She was dedicated to expressing her faith and speaking to others about the Bible and enjoyed sharing her experiences with her congregation. She had a nice privilege of visiting Bethel in New York City and her and Peter considered it a joy and a blessing. Tina said, “looking back on my life, I remember many situations where Jehovah gave me strength to maintain my integrity. I would not exchange my service to my creator for anything in the world.”
Online Service Saturday, June 19 at 2:00 p.m., Balwin Congregation. Go to join.zoom.us.
Zoom Meeting ID #: 97049060033, Password: 697549. For those who would like to phone in and listen, Phone #: 1-587-328-1099, Meeting ID #: 97049060033 #, Press 2 to join.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Tina
Kostiuk 2021..
Décès pour la Ville: Edmonton, Province: Alberta