Helena Nieumierzycki, age 93, passed away peacefully Sunday, March 6, 2022 at Chinook Hospice in Calgary. She is survived by her sons Stan and Ted and her nieces Grazyna Rurka (Brian), Danusia Nieumierzycki, Monika Tomczak-Sharpe (James Sharpe). Helena was predeceased by her husband Anatol on July 14, 2017.
Helena loved people. She had a knack of endearing herself to almost everyone she met. Always humble, she quietly, and without expectation of praise, helped many less fortunate individuals. This brought her a great deal of personal satisfaction.
Born in Rzedzin, Poland she was raised in modest circumstances. When the Second World War started, she was displaced to Germany where she worked as a farmhand on a farm. After the war, she was offered a choice of where to resettle and chose Canada. She started her new life as a domestic in Robertson, Alberta. Mom and Dad met in Calgary and were married in 1950. Helena raised two sons as a stay-at-home Mom. Times were tough but she prevailed.
When her sons were older, she decided she was bored and wanted a vocation that satisfied her creative nature. She went to work in the Dining Centre at the University of Calgary where she became a renowned pastry chef. There are thousands of former students who remember her butter tarts, cookies, cakes and other delicious sweet treats. Students filled their trays with her baking, some to be eaten now and the rest to be squirreled away for late night study. She loved her job and most of all, she thrived on the smiles that her baking brought to others.
In the kitchen at home, she was in her element. The meals she crafted were inspired. She loved to learn new methods but remained a traditionalist in her preparation of Polish cuisine. Mom created a lifetime of happy memories around the dining room table. Whoever visited at Christmas time went home with a huge sampling of her baking. Her creativity also extended to sewing, knitting, needle point, petit point, three-dimensional decoupage, and her favorite, gardening. The tomatoes that she grew in her hot-house were monstrously large. When asked how she did it, she responded “with a lot of water and a lot of love”.
After almost twenty years at the U of C Dining Centre, Mom retired to coincide with Dad’s retirement. It was time and she was ready. Mom and Dad took a cross Canada tour in “The Bus”, yet another one of Dad’s never ending creations. Once they returned, she filled her days with whatever struck her fancy.
Mom was a lifelong active member of Calgary’s Polish Catholic community attending church every Sunday. She was also a proud card-carrying member of the Polish-Canadian Association, contributing to its success for more than sixty-five years. Mom loved to participate in every aspect of Calgary’s very large and very rich tapestry of Polish life.
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so also does it take a different village to care for body and soul at the end of life. Our family is grateful to and humbled by talented individuals who make caring for others look simple. Of note we thank the nurses, personal care givers and administration of Chartwell Eau Claire Care Residence who cared for Mom the last years of her life. Also thank you to the doctors, nurses and care givers of Unit 44 Peter Lougheed Hospital and of Chinook Hospice for the exceptional comfort they provided Mom in her final days.
A Private Family Visitation will be held. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 15, 2022 at 10:00 AM at Our Lady Queen of Peace Polish Catholic Church, 2111 Uxbridge Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta.
Entombment to follow in the Mausoleum at Queen’s Park Cemetery, 3219 4th Street NW, Calgary, Alberta.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Helena’s memory to a charity of one’s choice.
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