Zinka Brunsek

Zinka Brunsek, 96, died on Sunday, February 25, 2018 after a long life lived with verve, optimism, energy, resilience, and one heck of an attitude. Zinka is predeceased by her husband, Stanko, her eldest son, Danny, daughter-in-law Adel, and her siblings in Slovenia, Stefan, Albina, and Franc. She is survived by her other two children, Jim and Judy, and her daughter-in-law, Kyoko, by her grandchildren, Cindy (Peter), Ashley (Nathan), Jeff (Nicole), Alex, and Jake, as well as her great grandchildren Haley, Gabriella, Julia, and Ethan. She is remembered by nieces and nephews in her native Slovenia, Metka, Franci (Milena), and Vlasta, and their children, Bostjan, Urban, Nina, Doman, and Grega along with many other relatives and friends.

Born in Ljubljana, Slovenia (then Yugoslavia) between the two World Wars, Zinka enjoyed a typical childhood of school, church, and various clubs. As WWII raged through Europe, she fled Yugoslavia and hiked over the Julian Alps to a refugee camp in Austria. At the end of the war, Zinka and a number of her friends chose to emigrate to Canada. Arriving as a displaced person (DP) not speaking a word of English. Zinka’s smarts and sense of humour had her testing her newly acquired English language skills, which she prided herself on learning extremely well. She was uncompromising in her respect of both English and Slovenian and seldom resorted to the commonly-used “Slovenglish”. She moved to Toronto, where she lived the rest of her life, met Stanko, and they married in 1952. Both were extremely active in the Slovenian community. Zinka, never shy to voice her strong opinions, used her energy and organizational skills to participate in and lead organizations including the Catholic Women’s League, Girl Guides, fund-raising fashion shows, various theatrical productions, and many more. She earned a living as a hairdresser, which allowed her to take care of her children, contribute to the household, dispense wisdom, advice and gossip to her friends and clients, and provide her with independence. Widowed in 1969, Zinka soon got on her feet and worked hard to pay off the mortgage on her beloved Oakwood Avenue home, raise her three children, and continue her extensive community work. She also loved her cottage on the “Farma” where she could socialize with fellow Slovenians young and old. For the last years of her life, she lived in Dom Lipa, a Slovenian nursing home in Toronto. The family thanks the staff there for the care they provided to her for the last eleven years of her life.

Zinka’s love of her family, above all else, is what remains of her today, her enduring gift. Her love never faltered nor waned despite our missteps, big or small. She will be missed.

“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day,

Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed.”

-Author: Unknown

Visitation at Jerrett Funeral Home, 1141 St. Clair Ave. W., will take place on February 27th, 7-9 pm, and February 28th 2-4 pm and 6-9 pm. Funeral Mass will take place on March 1st at 11 am at Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 611 Manning Ave., Toronto. For those wishing to make a donation in lieu of flowers, please donate to Dom Lipa Nursing Home, http://www.domlipa.ca/