She was predeceased by her husband Louis, daughter Sabina, mother (Susan), father (James), sister (Ethel), brothers ( Leonard, Howard, Ron and Gary).
She is survived by her loving family, children; Cathy (Ken), Sandy, Lisa and Greg (Debbie), grandchildren; Aaron (Lorena), Louis, Matthew, Jennifer (Al), Stefanie (Ryan), Kevin, Ben, Sabina and Nicolas, great-grandchildren; Chloe, Emily, Eli, Emma and Maddox. Also by her sister Susan (Walter), sister-in-laws Mary (Don), Audrey and many nieces, nephews and friends.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.ca
Hello everyone. Thank you for coming to help us celebrate the life of our Mother, June Brenda Boroevich.
Mom was a wife and mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, daughter and sister, aunt and friend. Within these roles she created connections to all of us. As we begin this time together lets have a minute of silence and think about our personal connection to June, Mom, Grandma or Aunt.
Later there will be an opportunity for people to share their thoughts and memories of Mom if they wish. If you have something prepared we will read it for you if you prefer.
Most of you will remember these posters from Mom's 90th Birthday party. We thought they would be a nice thing for everyone to see again. Also the memento table has things that meant something to Mom. In recent years she really took a liking to McDonald's coffee so there had to be a McDonald's cup. She also developed a pretty strong sweet tooth - particularly toffees. There are packages of these toffees made up for you to take with you along with a memorial card. On the back of the card you will find a link to a video show that Nick and his Dad Greg put together. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Mom did word puzzles for most of her adult life I think and word searches were a favorite in the last few years. The petit point teacup represents her love of entertaining and using the "good china". The Mexican cross is one of the many that she collected on her winter trips to Mexico. The elephants are part of one of her first collections. There were more collections to come - especially colored glass jugs and bowls. Finally the dominoes. Mom loved that game! We played dominoes as a family for I'm guessing 20 years? and her and Sue even got it started at the Senior's Center. It was enjoyable for us to put this collection together as we talked about Mom.
Lisa will now lead us in a prayer.
God our Father,
We thank you for having made each of us in your own image,
and giving us gifts and talents with which to serve you.
We thank you for JUNE,
the years we shared with her,
The good we saw in her,
and the love we received from her.
Now give us strength and courage to leave her in your care,
Confident in your promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Eulogy - Greg
Hello, and thank you for being here today to remember and recognize the person that was June Boroevich.
I’m sure we all know each other but just in case my name is Greg…youngest and only son of June.
June Brenda Haig was born in Calgary in 1928, not many months before the start of the Great Depression.
June was the second oldest of seven siblings. In 1936, at the age of eight the family followed their father James Haig out west, where he had found gainful employment in the middle years of the Depression. They settled into their new home in North Burnaby on Cambridge Street. Mom kept the postcards her dad sent her from various places in B.C.
Perhaps, because they had left everyone they knew (uncles, aunts, cousins) back in Alberta, on the other side of the Rockies, which in those days was a very wide divide the family became so important to Mom.
In 1949 Mom married our Dad, Louis Boroevich, who had four siblings.
With so many of them of similar age meant that children were being born around the same time. Meaning lots of first cousins and again a deep family connection.
Throughout Moms 84 years in The Heights she only lived in 3 houses within an 8 block radius. Many of you know Confed Park to Valley Bakery and then to the Rez…30 minutes tops when we were young.
The last and final home for Mom was the one on the 3800 block of Dundas in 1955. A few kids were born before moving into that house but we all grew up there.
June lived in that house for 65 years. She was proud of that and I am too.
Living in the same community meant she saw the same people she went to school with and kept connections with them for years. Graduating from High School in 1946 she was still involved in the reunions until just the last few years.
Work…her focus was on family as her husband was away much of the year fishing. However, later on she started at Eatons downtown and from the pictures in the photo albums and the women I saw at the house I know she made strong connections.
So focused on her home and neighborhood which grew strong by the years, Mom would often ask why we wouldn’t buy a house near her? In turn we’d ask if she would move in with us…but of course we weren’t in North Burnaby so it wasn’t possible.
For someone that was so fixed to her home it’s amazing that Mom was such an adventurer. She travelled to so many countries that I can’t even count.
That for me was a mystery. So loyal to her home but yet travelled so much that I don’t know the amount of countries she visited.
Nice house, nice life but like most people there were hard times. Her father James passed when she was only in her 20’s, her husband Louie passed unexpectedly when she was 46 and her third oldest daughter Sabina passed away before her time.
Throughout these times she persevered and supported all of us…it couldn’t have been easy.
As I’ve written this a few things came to mind that I thought of but they seem to blend into Moms story of family and friends.
1.The years following our Fathers death Mom had 3 separate marriage proposals and she declined each of them. From what I have heard it was because of commitment to her children and also commitment to her home. She didn’t want to move anywhere and maybe wasn’t able to share her family with others?
2.Mom wasn’t someone who spoke ill of anyone – either to their face or even behind their back.
3.Of the three son-in-laws and one daughter-in-law that joined the Boroevich family every one of them called June “Mom” from the start. It was never “June”.
From Susan Sittrop
I can’t remember a time when my sister was not a part of my life. As she frequently said, she was old enough to be my mother and frequently acted like it. I remember being included in outings with her girls to Stanley Park and other places and also later when Greg came along. She was always there for our mother and for me. We moved into the basement suite when I was about 14 or 15 and I lived there with Mom until I married Walter. Mom stayed on in the suite for many years after that with June taking very good care of her until she finally couldn’t physically handle Mom. It was a very hard time for her and for all of us when Mom had to be moved to a care center but June had more than done her best for Nana and we all reassured her of that.
June was very close to our brothers Howard, Len and Ron and their families. Family meant everything to her. Family was always first and most important. Her house was usually where the family gathered for dinners and parties. She cared about everyone and always let them know that they were important to her and mattered. She always remembered if you liked something, especially food and would cook Walter and I dinners that she knew he would like. She loved to entertain and whenever Walter’s family came from Holland she would make sure she had them over for dinner and especially dessert.
She became a surrogate grandmother to my children when Nana passed away and was very caring and loving to them. She became Aunt June to all the other Sittrop children and grandchildren here in Canada remembering their birthdays and at Christmas time always giving some little thing for them. She will be missed greatly by all of us as she was one of a kind.
From Walter Sittrop
June, we thank you for all the memories. Knowing you for many years, our Sittrop families are thankful for your kindness and helpfulness. Personally, I think back at all the love you had for your Mom and sister Susan. You had them to live with you and you looked after them for many years.
Like the song from Tom Jones “You are a Lady” and that is very much you June. So June Rest in Peace, we will always remember and love you.
From Wietske Sittrop
We meet many people during our time on this earth, but June was one of those individuals that stood out in a crowd.
Always there to welcome those into her home with a warm smile and even warmer cup of coffee, she was a great hostess, never letting you leave with an empty stomach.
We have so many memories of this amazing and gracious woman.
June was like a sister to me and a caring aunt to our children and grandchildren. She came to birthdays, showers and weddings ready to party and have fun.
Ron always said June was a lady of class and she will always be a shining beacon of hope and friendship to every life she has touched.
There may be sadness in the days and years to come for someone as loved as June but it is that love that will give us all the strength to carry on. It is in her memory we can give that love freely through the friendships and people that come into our lives.
Till we meet again June!
AFTERGLOW
I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun:
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.
by Helen Lowrie Marshall
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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