Elsie Ann Sasynuik

Elsie Sasynuik of Bellevue, WA, daughter of Anthony and Sophie Cherkas, passed away on May 12, 2026 at age 93. Elsie was our family history keeper and magical storyteller of children’s stories. She was a proud alum of Winnipeg General Hospital nursing program (1954B). She was full of love for all, a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother!

She was born in Manitoba and lived in rural areas going to a single room school house always ahead of the other students her age. She memorized many poems especially loving https://poets.org/poem/flanders-fields. She valued an education though she did not receive much encouragement from her parents. She had to wait a year to enter nurses training due to being too young and she worked to afford the entrance fee.

On August 3, 1955 she married Michael E. Sasynuik and in 1956 moved with him for his 9 years of rural practice in Birtle, Manitoba. In 1965 she moved again with the family to Seattle for Michael’s residency in Pathology. In 1971, they moved to their home in Bellevue with a view of Lake Sammamish and the Cascade mountains that she loved and never tired of since, as she often remarked, the view was ever changing. Gratefully she lived 54 years in their beloved home and passed there.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband Michael of 61 years of marriage. Also preceded in death by her parents, Anthony and Sophie Cherkas, siblings Leslie, Peter and his wife Olive, Mable, Ernie and Shirley. She is survived by three loving children - Johann Sasynuik, Michelle (Michael) Barratt and Lesia (Keith) Schafer. Her sister-in-law, Joyce (wife of Ernie). Eleven adoring grandchildren – Randy, Katrina (Jesse), Angela (Dan), Jamie (Kirk), Joseph (Susan), Meeta, Tatyana (Taylor), Prasad, Tetra, Caleb (Mel) and Kirsten (Danny); and her precious great grandchildren --The Coffman seven: Ryan, Sophie, Timothy, Maple-Ann, Nicholas, William and Leonard (parents Katrina and Jesse) and their grandmother Carrie and great grandchildren James and Edwin (parents Joseph and Susan); Jonathan “Jack” Joseph and Leo (parents Angela and Dan) and Elsie Erin (parents Jamie and Kirk). She is also survived by her beloved cousins Elizabeth Dmytar, Elaine Smith, Sonnia Zdebiak (Nick) as well as many nieces and nephews whom she loved. She was the well-loved matriarch of her family. Her common sense and wizardry in the kitchen will be sorely missed. She was a caregiver and especially took loving care of her husband Michael until his death. She was a gentle strong loving support to us all.

As to her storytelling, she relates a story of her oldest brother who lived only a few days asking the angels to give his little sister an extra dose of imagination since she was passed over for the ability to sing. She also related that she would just see a picture and a story would fall out. Many were the cute cards with a story written to the recipient based on the picture on the front of that card. She loved to tell tales of elephants, eagles and cougars as well as her beloved John-Jack-Joe, a mouse. She also loved to read books.

She was very thankful for the sacrifices of her Father’s grandmother who left Ukraine in April 1899 to travel to Shoal Lake, Manitoba. She was able to visit Ukraine and see the hill from which her grandmother, Anna aged 14 ½ yo, would have seen their village of Postalivka for the last time with her parents Timko and Anastasia Kiez (Kis on ship log) and siblings Anton, Sophia, Katherina, Ivan and Paul (2 yo who died in Hamburg). Five wagons left the little village for Ternopol where a train brought them to Hamburg, Germany, for the 13 day boat trip aboard the Phoenicia to Halifax, Canada. Her mother, Sophie, left Ukraine in 1911 at the age of 2 with her parents, John and Teckla Dmyterko and siblings Anne, Magda, Mike, and Mary.

Many thanks to Keith for his ongoing daily trips to place mom’s eyedrops. Many thanks to Lesia for her lovely Sunday visits and being there for doctor appointments, home repairs etc. Thanks to both for bringing her over to your home for dinner and movie night on many Tuesdays and keeping her safe thru the COVID pandemic.

You will be missed but never forgotten sweet Mama!

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in memory of Elsie Sasynuik to https://www.seattlechildrens.org/giving/honor-loved-one/