BOJSZA , Mary (Nanny)
October 4, 1915 - August 31, 2010
It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of our loving mother, grandmother, and great grandmother Mary Bojsza (nee Prachun) in her 94th year. When the Lord called her home she was reunited with her dearly beloved husband John (1988), son Fred (1998), daughter-in-law Audrey (2002), as well as her mother and father and siblings. Mary’s love will live on in the hearts of her son, Walter (Sharon), and grandchildren: Glen (Fran), Heather (Les), Alan (Nadia), Diane (Larry), Michael (Barb), Peter (Darlene); her two nephews Nick and Pete Zon; her 8 great grandchildren and her relatives in Poland and Russia. In 1929, at the age of 14, Mary immigrated from Sakal, Poland. She travelled on her own across the Atlantic to reunite with her sister who was already living in Saskatchewan. She married John in 1933, had two sons, Walter and Fred and then in 1944 moved to Drumheller. Mary had a wonderful love of family, children, community and never took her life for granted. Her family shares many fond memories of Mary. She cherished her visits with her family and was always entertained by the magical play of the younger children. Guests were always welcomed with a warm hug followed by a feast of various dishes such as her delicious cabbage rolls and perogies. She enjoyed a good game of crib and demonstrated her skill by winning many cribbage tournaments over the years as well as winning gold at the Alberta Seniors Games. She also won a number of awards for her beautiful crocheted pieces. She was eco friendly, as she never owned a vehicle and she walked everywhere, which resulted in a long healthy life. When she was still living in her own home she took great pride in maintaining a very large vegetable garden of which she canned and pickled many different vegetables to everyone’s delight. She believed in simplicity and was immune to the allure of the materialistic world. She was dedicated to her community and demonstrated this by her many years of volunteer work. For 50+ years she was an active member of the Catholic Women’s League, Drumheller Hospital Auxiliary and the Pioneer Trail Senior’s Centre. She brought warmth and kindness to the elderly in her community supporting them in many different ways. She also donated over a hundred of her crocheted master pieces to different organizations to aid in their fundraising. She was a precious gift to all of us and will be dearly missed. We would like to thank the Sunshine Lodge for taking such good care of Mary over the years and the Drumheller Hospital staff for their support. A very special thank you to Olga Rowse and Carol Houghton, Elsie Dow, Gladis Weisner and the many other friends and parishioners for their devotion in providing companionship to Mary and visiting her while she was in the Hanna and Drumheller Hospitals. Please join us in celebrating Mary, the loving and gracious woman that she was. Prayers will be held at Courtney-Winters Funeral Chapel, on Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 7:30 pm with a Funeral Service at St Anthony’s Catholic Church on Friday, September 10, 2010 at 11:00 am with a reception to follow. Interment will be held at the Drumheller Cemetery. In Memorial Donations may be made to the Drumheller Hospital Auxiliary, 351 9th Street, Drumheller, AB T0J 0Y1. Courtney-Winters Funeral Chapel in care of arrangements. 403-823-2666. {jathumbnail off}
