Olga Sapon

Olga Sapon passed away peacefully holding the hand of her granddaughter Lauren O’Connell and surrounded by love the morning of March 12, 2021. Olga was born April 3, 1933 in Melun, France to Paul and Catherine Stadnyk. She grew up during WWII in France under Nazi occupation. As a young woman Olga worked as a secretary for Renault Motor Corporation. When the war was over, Olga and her parents immigrated to Montreal, Canada under the Displaced Person Program with one suitcase each and later became a proud Canadian citizen. In Canada, Olga worked as a nurse’s aide and saved all her money to realize her dream of becoming a homeowner. Olga met her husband Rostyslaw, also a displaced person, in Canada and they married in 1957. Olga and Rostyslaw had two sons Rost and Emilien. Rostyslaw’s work transferred the family to Arizona where they happily remained, had a daughter Nina, and became American Citizens. While watching cooking shows on PBS, Olga learned to speak English then taught herself how to read and write in English without spelling errors, thus becoming fluent in three languages. She was very proud to be an American and would often say it’s the first place she truly felt free and a sense of belonging. Olga volunteered for years at church, The American Lung Association and at a hospital bringing cheer to patients. She could get the grumpiest and sickest patients to eat and smile. Kindness and generosity filled her being and emanated outward to those in her presence. Olga’s greatest accomplishments were being an amazing mother and Babcha (grandmother) to her grandchildren. Her family came first, with education being paramount. She loved to learn and devoured literature and knowledge. No one ever came into her home without getting a big hug. No one ever left her home hungry – that would be a sin. Some of her words of wisdom were “accept what life brings you; you are supposed to learn from it and move on” and “don’t complain – it could be worse”. Olga is preceded in death by her parents, her brother Peter, and her husband Rostylaw. She leaves behind her children: Rost (Jeanne), Emilien (Joan), Nina O’Connell (Timothy), and her grandchildren: Terrance (Kimmie), Nicholas (Danielle), Jennifer O’Connor (Zach), Alex, Natasha O’Connell, Lauren O’Connell, Savanna O’Connell, Olivia O’Connell, and great grandchildren Kale and Kota.