Krystyna Placha

She was preceded in death by her late husband and Teresa’s father, Frank Placha, a beloved former member and committed volunteer for the Kenora Knights of Columbus.

She was an outstanding homemaker who enjoyed gardening and had a natural green thumb. Her rows of colorful zinnias lining the family home along the white picket fence grew several feet tall every summer, and a variety of other flowers grew in abundance, both in and outside of the home. Gardening kept her busy preparing the family’s favorite treats such as pickled beets and cucumbers, and freezing vegetables for the winter such as green beans and carrots. Summers were spent picking blueberries, and making pies, and even though mom was always the one surrounded by a cloud of mosquitos (more than the rest of us), she was an expert at filling her baskets faster than anyone. The fall seasons were spent picking mushrooms and harvesting the fruits of her devoted efforts to yield an annual selection of preserves, jarred goods and an entire freezer filled with vegetables and homemade perogies. Other family favorites she baked on a regular basis included homemade donuts (paczki), poppy seed rolls (makowiec), cheesecake (sernik) and apple cake (jablecznik). In her spare time, she loved watching 1940s and 1950s musicals starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth. She also loved to dance, and some Sunday afternoons were spent as a family listening to Polish crooners and dancing with my mother and father throughout the living room and kitchen, both of us trying to keep up with her graceful steps.

In addition to her work as a devoted homemaker, she also worked for many years at the former Kenwood Hotel and was highly respected as an employee for her incredible work ethic and high standards of cleanliness.

Krystyna was a deeply religious woman who loved attending weekly mass, when she could, at Notre Dame Catholic Church. No obstacles were too challenging, including walking to church in the freezing winter weather or pouring spring rains. Childhood memories of walking as a family through the early Sunday morning -20 degree or colder weather for a 30-minute trek to and from church, are never to be forgotten.

A Catholic prayer service will be held at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Thursday, February 13th, 2025, at 7:00 pm with visitation hours until 9:00 pm, with refreshments provided. A funeral mass open to the public will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church on Friday, February 14th at 11:00am and a private interment will follow at the Lake of the Woods Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice.

A very special thanks goes out to Cory at Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Centre for his incredible support and assistance during this difficult time.