It is with great sadness and broken hearts to share the passing of Helen Shynkaryk at 3:00 am on December 31, 2021, in the loving arms of her daughter Donna (Gord), and with prayers felt from a distance from her other daughters, Elaine (Gary), Judy and Cyndi (Greg), Mom took her final soft breath and peacefully joined Dad and Gary in Heaven.
Helen was born April 3, 1930 to Antonina and Anthony Oleksuk in Fannystelle, Manitoba. She was the 6th of 9 children and was the last of the Oleksuk clan to leave this world at the oldest age of 91.
Growing up, Helen worked as a seamstress in a sewing factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a skill she carried through out her life, making numerous clothes for all of us. There was nothing she couldn't sew! Her other passion was knitting which all of us reaped the rewards of. Mom made the best perogies ever. In fact, one of the first things that she would pack in her suitcase to come visit any one of us was her perogy dough cutter!
Helen married Walter Shynkaryk on August 12, 1950 and made a loving home for their 4 girls in Terrace Bay, Ontario. They were married for 56 years until Dad passed in 2006.
Mom was our energizer bunny, she never stopped doing things for her family and she was our biggest cheerleader. "No" was not a word that Mom used. Whenever any of us needed her help, she was always on the next bus of plane to be by our sides. She so loved her time spent with her daughters and their families.
Her grandchildren, Kristi, Kelly, Stacey, Shannon (Jeff), Erin (Dan), Lindsay (Greg), Warren, Kailey and Ashlan, and great grandchildren Ainsley, Ethan, Lukas, Sebastien, Olivia and Jack were her pride and joy.
Mom was game for anything at any time. From her trips to Vegas, going to a Blue Jays baseball game, the casino gambling, fishing, first ski doo ride at 70 years old!, craft sales, card games, board games to the cherished walks and talks we all had with her. The list could go on!
Her final 3 1/2 years were spent in Pinecrest Home for the Aged in Kenora, ON. Although she lived with dementia, she continued to be that loving, caring and happy person she always was. And oh that smile, as she always had all her life, brightened everyone's day and add to that her "queen's wave"!
Words cannot express the gratitude extended to all staff at Pinecrest from activation, dietary, housekeeping, dental to front office departments. You all contributed in your own way to my mom's happy life there.
A heartfelt thank you to all the PSW's, RPN's and RN's that cared for our Mom. You are all unsung heroes and should be proud of yourselves. Your love and compassion for our Mom until her final hour will never be forgotten. A special loving thank you to our "dream team", so happy to have you there with us!
Thank you so much to our screeners, Barry and Tony for keeping my Mom and all the residents and staff safe during these covid times. Your humour and chats were so appreciated!
A special thank you to Mom's beautiful friends, Anne, Norah, Maxine, Helen and Sharron. Thank you so much for always being there for Mom. She sure did enjoy our coffee time ad chats with all of you.
Thank you to Kathy (Mrs. Dress-Up!) for brightening my mom's evenings and going that extra little step for her.
To my mom's angel, Lynn, she so loved your visits and your loving touch. Thank you for taking such good care of her; I was honoured to share my Mom with you. Your love and support until the end of her time with us will forever be remembered and cherished.
Thank you so much Fr. Rudy Manaloto for your kind words and loving support.
Many thanks to Dr. Kerry Anderson for caring for our mom and for your kind words and support after she passed.
Thank you to Cory Jinkerson at Brown Funeral Home for your compassion in making a difficult time easier.
It was not easy, nor were we ready to say goodbye to you, Mom, Gramma, Great Gramma, but knowing you lived a full healthy and happy 91 years and blessed us with your love, wisdom, care and that beautiful smile and laugh, somehow makes it easier to say to you what you always said to us...
"Bye for now".
Until we meet again, we know that you and dad will be watching over all of us and keeping us safe.
Thanks for being our MOM!
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
My only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey.
You never know dear how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.
Cremation has taken place and a service will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
The ACTIVATION DEPT.
Pinecrest Home for the Aged
1220 Valley Drive,
Kenora, Ontario
P9N 2W7
You can also attend the service through live stream at https://fweb.tv/84203
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfuneralhomekenora.com for the Shynkaryk family.