Mary Sophie Andrée

(nee Chudzik)

It is with profound sadness the family announces the passing of our amazing mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother on Thursday, January 19, 2012 peacefully with her family at her side.

Left to cherish her memory are her children Philip (Barb), Valerie Sontag (Ken), Gordon, Mary Sutherland (Wayne), Beverly Duby (Jean-Paul), Paulin, Erica Norris (Bill), brother-in-law Len Andrée (Lois), grandchildren April, David, Ted, Beverly, Nicole, Charlene, Mark, Jayson, Sarah, Paul, Jonathan, Gabriel, Sophia, Joël, Savanna, Shayna, Justina, Tamara, great-grandchildren Brendan, Jenessa, Tayler, Deven, Janine, Abigail, Katie, Justin, Cameron, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Predeceased by her husband Paul (2002), brothers, Walter, August, Brownie, John, Frank, William, and grandson Philip.

Mary was born in Winnipeg on March 25, 1926 to Polish immigrant parents Filip and Zofia Chudzik. She attended Lord Nelson and Isaac Newton Schools.

Mary grew up in the North End as the only sister to six brothers. She was an active member of St John’s Cantius Church. She met the love of her life while singing in the choir at Holy Ghost Church and married Paul Andrée on Sept 1, 1945. They moved to Transcona where they raised seven children.

Mary served her community in many ways. She was a member of St. Joseph the Worker Parish and taught Sunday School. In addition to serving the Girl Guide movement as a Brown Owl for 18 years, she was a member of the Transcona-Springfield School Division and of the River-East School Division both as a trustee and chairperson for 43 years. She was a founding Director of the Transcona-Springfield Education Foundation. Her proudest achievement was receiving the Commemorative Medal for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in honor of her community service.

Funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 11:00 AM at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, 505 Brewster St. Pallbearers will be her grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s memory to the River East Transcona Keep Them in School Foundation Inc. 797 Harbison Ave. East Winnipeg MB. R2L 0Z4.

SUCCESS

To laugh often and much

to win the respect

of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation

of honest critics and endure

the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty,

to find the best in others;

to leave the world

a bit better, whether

by a healthy child,

a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life

has breathed easier

because you have lived.

That is to have succeeded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tribute to Mary Andrée

(Read by April and Beverly- Granddaughters)

We are honored to have been asked to pay tribute to an incredible mother, Baba, great-grandmother and community leader. It is difficult to put into words what she meant to all of us and to capture all of her amazing accomplishments but we will try our best to paint a picture of this unforgettable woman.

We will begin with a quote that brings Baba to mind: A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend. This is relevant to Baba as she was a terrific caregiver not only towards her children but to her grandchildren as well. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge and wisdom with her family and she was a good friend to us as she was always available to listen to our stories and we loved hearing her stories as well. Baba always welcomed her loved ones into her home and it was a central meeting place for Sunday dinners and special occasions.

Our earliest memories are of spending time at Baba and Dzidzi`s store. We were always treated to an endless supply of pepperonis, bottled Snow White cream soda, chocolate bars, penny candies and who could forget the milk shake machine. You can only imagine how as children having access to these goodies was the equivalent of winning the lottery. Beverly and I fondly remember stopping by the store before leaving for a month at the lake and having Baba give us each a small brown paper bag to fill up with sweets for the train ride.

One of the busiest days of the week at the store was Fridays, also known as Perogy Day. However, the preparation for the perogies was like a fine art that took place over the course of a week. Mondays and Tuesdays were reserved for peeling and boiling potatoes and chopping up the onions. She would then put those ingredients into ice cream pails and place them in the walk in cooler. On Wednesdays, she`d roll the filling into balls and on Thursdays she`d make the dough. All of this culminated on Fridays mornings with Baba arriving as early as 5:00 AM to begin rolling dough and pinching perogies so that they`d be ready to boil and sell for Friday afternoon.

There were several regular customers who would preorder their perogies in order to avoid disappointment and there was a steady stream of people who would stop in on their way home from work to enjoy Baba`s hot perogies. We can vividly recall Baba stabbing a perogy with a fork to give to us and then making several trips back for seconds and thirds! Baba`s culinary skills didn`t stop at perogies. She was well known for her pies which she would make on Sundays, cabbage rolls, rusta, cheesecake, cream puffs, borscht, buns, doughnuts and fruitcake which she began making in September.

For the grandchildren, we looked forward to Christmas time when we would enjoy Baba`s custard balls. However, we did not know they were called custard balls since we referred to them as little hamburgers and loved choosing between the pink, yellow and green icing. We`ve come to the conclusion that Baba became such a wonderful cook due to the fact she had to cook for all six of her brothers from a very early age. Many of Baba`s children have inherited her gift of cooking delicious meals and baking treats which we will all continue to enjoy in Baba`s memory. Some of her granddaughters also recall that Baba would brush their hair as this was something her mother did for her when she was young that she very much enjoyed.

My grandparents loved sleeping in the patio and sometimes would do so even in the dead of winter. Baba loved lying in bed in the patio under the down comforter and electric blanket listening to the CBC morning news on the radio.

Some of my fondest memories include my weekends with Baba and Dzidzi. It was an opportunity to spend time with them and also to enjoy the store. I can vividly recall coming home from the store on Friday nights where Baba would make me tea (with a splash of apricot brandy. Looking back now, I`m not sure if giving brandy to a child would be seen in a positive light by today`s standards but I have to say that I developed a taste for it and to this day you can find a bottle of Apricot Brandy in my pantry).

Along with tea we`d have cookies and watch Dallas on a small television set in the kitchen. After the brandy I was very much ready for bed and would wake in the morning ready to return to the store for breakfast. On Saturdays we`d head off to the Wholesale to stock up on supplies for the store. Upon our return family members would pitch in to help with the enormous task of unloading the big brown station wagon, labeling the items with prices and restocking the shelves. Our grandparents worked seven days a week from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM for 18 years to run their business. Their work ethic was remarkable and even more admirable was the fact that you`d never hear them complain. They loved their interactions with the public and were proud of their little corner store. Whether she was here at St. Joseph the Worker, TD Bank, Extra Foods or out for a stroll, Baba always met up with someone she knew and would take the time to stop and chat. She was a terrific conversationalist and loved discussing politics, current events and especially topics relevant to the community of Transcona.

In addition to looking after her family and running a small business, Baba was very involved in her community. She served on the school board for 43 years, was a Brownie leader for 18 years, she was involved with St. John`s Ambulance, the Hi Neighbor Parade and she served on the Civic Charities Board. Two other accomplishments she was very proud of were her contribution to the writing of a book entitled From Slate To Computer which depicts the history of the Transcona-Springfield School Division. She was also a founding director for the Transcona-Springfield Education Foundation. She had the ability to give a speech off the cuff with no notes to follow and she loved attending the Mast Conventions. She was very proud when a street in Transcona, Mary Andree Way, was named after her thanks to her countless contributions to her community.

When we look at Baba`s accomplishments on paper, they are remarkable indeed and we are all very proud of her. However, some of her greatest attributes and the influence she had on her loved ones cannot be measured and no awards were handed out. Baba had a nurturing side that may not have been evident in the public eye. I remember staying at my grandparents` house during high school exams and coming down with a high fever the day before my final math exam. I couldn`t study and all I could do was lie in bed. Baba tucked me in, pinned my hair up with bobby pins and applied cool washcloths to the back of my neck and forehead. She reassured me that I would do fine on my exam despite not being able to prepare for it on this particular day. I have many memories such as these of my grandmother...warming up my pajamas on the heater while I took a bath ...waking me up in the morning with a back rub which she called a Scooby Doo...and especially instilling in me the belief that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I will be forever grateful to Baba for her guidance, support, love and the confidence she showed in me. I feel that as a parent, grandparent or for anyone who has an influence on children, this is what we ultimately want for them...to be empowered and believe in themselves. To serve their community and to be sensitive to the needs of others. Thank you Baba for modeling the wonderful example you did for your family. We are truly blessed to have had you in our lives.

Baba grew up in a family that had to work very hard to provide the necessities. You can imagine her frustration with some constituents who were demanding transportation for their children for very short distances. Her phone never stopped ringing with these types of requests. One day, Baba had had enough of these situations and she had a call from a mother who wanted her child transported to various locations. Baba told her `Lady, we`re running a school division not a taxi service!`

Having your grandmother as chairperson of the board was at times unnerving for her grandchildren as we always felt the need to be on our best behavior at school or surely Baba would find out!

Over the past couple of years Jenessa and I have spent a considerable amount of time visiting Baba. While she was still in her home, I recall one evening lying beside Baba on her bed and Jenessa came and laid across the foot of the bed and while doing so bounced. I said to Jenessa, `Stop the bouncing` to which Baba replied `It`s okay sweetheart, this bed hasn`t seen any bouncing in a long time`. Even with her illness, Baba never lost her sense of humor. Only just a couple of weeks ago, I stopped at Tim`s to get Baba her French vanilla coffee. I also brought her some Tim Bits and she began to name them. Mr. Blackie and Mr. Bubbly were her favorites. Whether we just sat there talking, coloring or playing cards, watching the idiot box as Baba would say, or just sitting in the backyard watching the birds, Baba always enjoyed our company and would always ask when we were coming back. In her later years, Baba enjoyed attending her grandchildren`s soccer games, Christmas concerts and choir presentations. She was also proud of her family members who are active in the church as her faith was always very important to her and this is something she has passed down to her children and grandchildren.

There are many qualities we admire about Baba. She gave generously to a variety of charities and she always put others before herself. We are also amazed by the fact that she raised seven children. We can`t imagine the number of sleepless nights, the endless loads of laundry which she would carefully hang on the clothesline, the meals, the cleaning and countless other parenting tasks. We believe that Baba was a very resilient person. Resiliency can be defined as: the ability to recover quickly from illness, change or misfortune. Why is it that some people when faced with adversity are able to move forward and thrive while others can`t? Baba`s life certainly had its share of obstacles to overcome. She often spoke about the loss of her father during her childhood and how this changed the course of her life. Her father had promised her the opportunity of pursuing her education and when he was killed on the job that dream dissipated. However, I believe that the relationship she had with her father and the way he made her feel special enabled her to pursue new dreams and aspirations. Baba found a way to fulfill her need for knowledge by being elected to the school board and attending numerous workshops and conferences. She was so dedicated to her role as a trustee that she never missed a meeting.

Just as her father`s positive influence stayed with her throughout her life, I know that each of us will carry a piece of Baba in our hearts. Our world is a better place because of her contributions and we are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to know such a unique and vibrant person.

Another misfortune that she overcame was when she lost the sight in one eye following surgery on her sinuses. For many years she was unable to drive and had to adjust her daily routine. Although this must have been a great challenge for her, you would never had guessed that she had a disability because it didn`t slow her down. She would insist on walking to her school board meetings because she wanted to be independent and would decline the offer of rides. Baba saw many changes in the course of her 85 years but she always found a way to adapt and thrive despite many setbacks. I believe that her incredible energy, enthusiasm and love for her family contributed to her resilient nature.

Although Baba`s time on Earth with all of us has come to an end, we know that her influence and legacy along with her stories will forever live on in all of our hearts. We will keep her spirit alive in remembering all of the good times we shared with her and trying to adjust our lives without having her around. She has left footprints in all of our hearts and big shoes for us to fill. We are comforted by knowing that she is reunited with her loved ones and especially with Dzidzi who probably greeted her by saying: Geeze Chicks, what took you so along? In conclusion for the grandchildren we have a quote that says: Grandmothers hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. For her children we will quote Robert Munch’s book: I`ll love you forever, I`ll like you for always, as long as I`m living My mommy you`ll be.