Obituary
With profound sadness and broken hearts, the family of Maria Mulak announces her peaceful passing on May 8, 2021 at the age of 95.
Maria, affectionately known as Lilka, will be lovingly remembered by all those whose lives she touched. She is survived by her devoted daughter, Monika (John) and grandsons Ryall and Jeremy; her sister, Anna; her sister-in-law, Jadzia; her nieces and nephew as well as her extended family and many friends.
Lilka was born in Bortkow, Poland. A spirited child, she spent an idyllic youth climbing apple trees, skating on ponds, riding in sleighs, summering in the Carpathian mountains and dining outdoors with her family in the warm summer countryside.
After the onset of Second World War, Lilka, her siblings and her mother were rounded up in 1940 and deported to a Soviet Gulag in the Komi district of Siberia. For more than two years and against all odds, they survived this Russian forced labour camp. Freed in the 1942 Amnesty of Polish prisoners, she and her family made the long arduous journey across the Caspian Sea to Tehran, Persia before settling in Palestine.
She attended high school at the Ein Karem boarding school for Polish girls until 1947. Lilka and her family moved to England before immigrating to Canada in 1948. She later married and lived in New York before establishing residence in Toronto as a single parent to raise her daughter. Lilka worked for twenty-seven years in the Ontario Public Service until her retirement in 1987.
An inspiration to all who knew her, Lilka always had a smile on her face and a kind word to share. She spent countless happy hours reading, listening to Chopin, strolling along Toronto’s lakefront, and reminiscing with her sister and friends. Her hazelnut torte and Polish uszka with barszcz were family favourites.
A wise, elegant and gentle woman, who was known for her exquisite taste and fierce loyalty to her friends, Lilka, above all else, loved spending time with family, especially her cherished grandsons, who were her pride and joy.
A special thank you to the compassionate caregivers and Pastoral Team at Copernicus Lodge. In her final days, Lilka was deeply moved by the attention and detail given to her 95th birthday celebration.
She lived life as a shining example of courage, selflessness and gratitude. A person of deep and unwavering faith, Lilka drew strength from prayer. As a mother she was an Angel.
A private family Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, May 14th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Casimir’s Church in Toronto. The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to their favourite charity in Maria Mulak’s name.
Although we are apart,
Your spirit lives within me
Forever in my heart.
Z Panem Bogiem
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Maria Mulak May 1 1926 May 8 2021 (age 95)..
Death notice for the town of: Mississauga, Province: Ontario