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Obituary of Sophie (nee Klym) Andrusiak
Sophie Andrusiak passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 6, 2021, at the Vita Personal Care Home, Vita, MB.
She is survived by her children: daughter Christine Block, son Emil (Bev), daughter Shirley (Dan) Brown, daughter Emily (Rick) Driedger, son Wesley (Theresa), and son Edward (Donna). She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and their spouses, 24 great-grandchildren, plus numerous nieces and nephews.
Sophie was predeceased by her husband Peter, her son-in-law Larry Block, her sisters: Dora Kutzak, Sadie Tornopolski, Helen Andrusiak and Rose Andrusiak; also, her brothers: George and Matt Klym.
Mom was born on March 16, 1931, in Sirko, MB., the youngest child of John and Mary Klym. She was the last remaining sibling in her family. Mom attended school in Sirko a few miles from her home. She enjoyed going to school and learning, especially working on Language Arts and Spelling. We found out in these last months that Mom learned many songs during her school years because she would start singing these songs to us, either in Ukrainian or English. Amazingly she still remembered all the lines to the songs.
Mom married Peter Andrusiak, also from Sirko, on June 19, 1949. They shared 63 years of marriage together before Dad’s passing in 2012. They raised their family on the farm and continued making hay and raising cattle until Mom was in her 70’s. Mom was a very hard-working woman and taught her children how to work hard as well.
Our mother loved the outdoors, she enjoyed mushroom picking in the bush, and there was always the annual blueberry picking season for her. She really took pleasure in scouting out her favourite wildflowers-the lady slippers. She looked forward to gardening and working in her flower beds each summer. She even liked mowing the grass. All her meals were delicious, her grandchildren loved visiting especially when Baba served her perogies and mushrooms. Christmas and Easter time at Baba’s place always meant good eating and fun and games afterward.
Baba treasured her grandchildren, they will all remember playing Pennies with her. Later, her many great-grandchildren brought her joy. Some began to call her “Old Baba Cookie” because of the cookies that she always had waiting for them on visits with her.
Mom used to keep herself busy reading short stories and working on her word search books. She also had a great sense of humour, even when she wasn’t having the best of days. She would have us chuckling during visits and phone calls and would even get the nurses laughing. Mom didn’t complain, she was a real trooper right to her final day with us. In her last weeks here, while being confined to her bed, she still enjoyed watching “her” birds at the birdfeeder, outside her window.
We would like to thank all the nurses and the aids at the Vita PCH, who cared so kindly for Mom. Thank you to her doctors and the kitchen staff for all the great bowls of soup that Mom enjoyed so much.
We will miss you Mom and your sweet smile, you fought hard to stay with us a little longer, these last six months. May you now rest in peace dear mother, Baba and Great-Baba. We will always remember you.
In tears we saw you sinking,
We watched you day by day
Our hearts were almost broken,
You fought so hard to stay
But when we saw you sleeping,
So peaceful, free from pain
We could not wish you back
To suffer that again.
A private family funeral service will be held.
Interment will be at the St. Elias Orthodox Church Cemetery, Sirko, MB.
If friends so desire, donations in memory of Sophie may be made to Southern Health/Santé Sud (In cheque memo line: Vita Personal Care Home) P.O. Box 470, La Broquerie, MB, R0A 0W0.
