Helena Jarema

Helena was born on August 4, 1927 in Pantna, Ukraine. She married her husband Peter in 1960. Helena and Peter lived in Toronto, Ontario where they raised a son and daughter. They later moved to Strathroy and then to Cambridge, Ontario.

Helena was a dedicated hard worker and located a job at the church our family attended in Toronto. She worked many happy years as a caregiver and cook at the Saint Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Nursery School. When the family moved to Strathroy she worked for quite a few years at a garden center. Helena enjoyed hosting holidays with friends and family, gardening, going for long walks, picnics in the forest and summer cottage trips. She spent many enjoyable hours growing a vegetable garden and many beautiful perennial and annual flowers, as well as fruit trees and berry bushes in her gardens, which she shared with neighbors. She was also an active parishioner at all of the Ukrainian churches she attended over the years. She loved attending St Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Cambridge every Sunday, made many friends there and donated many hours of her time there.

Helena was predeceased by her beloved husband Peter of 42 years, sisters Paranya, Anna, Teklia, Maria and brothers Ivan and Fetzko.

Helena is survived by her younger brother Yosef Rotko, his son Andriy Rotko and wife Anna Rotko, and his son Bohdan Rotko and wife Irina Rotko. She is also survived by Bohdan and Irina's children Orest, Adrian and Olena.

She is loved and missed by her daughter Larysa Vaz, Larysa's husband Marcel Vaz, her grandchildren Linnea and Maleyna Vaz, and her son Myroslav Jarema. Helena will be missed by her extended family Antonetta Vaz, Eric Vaz, Amadeo Vaz, Atticus Vaz and Clara Vaz.

Helena's life will be celebrated on Saturday, November 22nd. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM in the chapel of Barthel Funeral Home, 566 Queenston Road. Afterwards there will be a reception where food, stories and laughter will be shared in Helena's honour. Burial to follow at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery, 1280 Dundas Street West.