Maria Eva Golibrzuch

Maria was born in Kimisz, Poland on August 16th, 1930, a special birthday gift for her father, Martin and his wife Katharina Leicht. She was born into a large and loving family of German descent and was the oldest of 5 children which included her only sister, Paula and 3 brothers, Addy, Hans and Alfred.

Martin and his young family lived in a single-story mud house along with his parents, Johann and Eva Leicht and their 3 youngest daughters. Two of her aunts, Josephine and Kaethe were just a few years older than Maria and were like big sisters to her through their entire lives. Her sister Paula was born in 1934 and Maria immediately took her little sister under her wing. On January 9, 1940, the family was forced to flee the advancing Russian army. They left behind the village that their ancestors had settled in 150 years prior. Religion had been forbidden and they had to say goodbye to their church where they had practiced their faith. They had to abandon their home and all their belongings and set out on an uncertain journey with complete faith in God, trusting that He would protect them.

Their journey took several years during which they experienced much fear, hunger, upheaval and loss. They travelled by train and horse drawn wagons, trying to keep ahead of the advancing Russian army. Maria’s brothers, Addy and Hans were born during this time.

Arriving in Germany after the war, the family was lucky to receive some farmland in a little village in Saxony name Zschepplin. The family was able to find room to live in the castle in Zschepplin, along with other refugees and this is where Maria’s baby brother Alfred was born. As a young child, when Maria’s granddaughter, Amy, heard this story, she was convinced that Oma was a princess because she lived in a castle! That might also explain Amy’s belief that it was Oma’s face was on our Canadian money!

The family began building their home and a new life in Zschepplin. Maria often said that there was not a brick used in the building of their home that she did not personally handle herself. After realizing the realities of life in post Nazi Germany, Maria, her aunt and uncle, Kaethe and Franz Seidel and their two young children, Christine and Terry, decided to seek a better life in Canada. The 5 of them escaped the Russian occupied zone of East Germany on July 31, 1951, running through fields in the middle of the night and made their way to a village near Hannover to live with an aunt until they could arrange passage to Canada. With the financial help of Maria’s Aunt Josephine, who had immigrated to Canada after the war, the family made the difficult 16-day ship journey across the Atlantic to St. John in December of 1951, from where they crossed Canada by train, headed to their new home in Calgary to join Josephine, Maria’s grandmother and 2 other Aunts who had already made their homes there. It was a long, cold, arduous 5-day trip, with little food or money. Maria often talked about the Christmas dinner they shared on that journey, when Uncle Franz managed to procure a chunk of salami and a loaf of bread for them to share.

Shortly after arriving in Calgary, Maria was introduced by her Aunt Josephine and her husband Joe to a handsome young man from Poland named Herbert. Their first date to the Ice Capades was the start of a beautiful life together that lasted over 60 years. They were married on August 23, 1952 and welcomed their daughters Susan and Rosalie a few years later.

Maria was a stay-at-home mother while her daughters were young, but as they got to be school aged, she took a class in cake decorating and began working at the Brentwood Coop where she created many beautiful birthday and wedding cakes. She also made wedding cakes out of her home and the dining room table was often filled with various colored royal icing roses, ready for her next creation.

When their daughters married, Maria and Herbert welcomed Bob and Dan into the family with open arms. They loved their sons-in-law as if they were their own, and the feeling was mutual. When Rosalie presented them with their precious granddaughter Amy in 1992, they were over the moon! When Rosalie went back to work, they were thrilled to be able to care for Amy. Amy spent almost every day of her childhood years with Oma and Opa. Maria drove Amy to school, playdates, dance classes, anywhere Amy needed or wanted to go. Maria often said those were the best times of her life. She waited patiently with the other parents after school while Amy played at the playground with her friends. She was known as “Oma” to many of Amy’s classmates.

In retirement, Maria was also able to become more involved in the St. Boniface Church community. A devout Catholic, Maria attended weekday Masses, joined the church choir, the women’s group, the Saint Vincent Pallotti group and took part in many other activities that went on in the church.

After Herbert was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2003, Maria insisted on taking care of him at home for as long as she was physically able. When Herbert went into Long Term Care, Maria was constantly by his side until his passing on May 23, 2012. She set an amazing example for all her family with the loving care that she took of Herbert.

In September of 2014 at the age of 84, Maria was able to accompany Bob, Susan and Rosalie on an exciting adventure back to Germany to surprise her sister, Paula, for her 80th birthday. Even though Maria always maintained an extremely close long-distance relationship with all her family, she was so happy to be able to see them again and spend time reconnecting with everyone in person.

Upon her return from her trip to Germany, Maria began to miss the social connections she had made over the years and in January of 2015, she moved into Revera Scenic Acres. There she thrived with the activities offered and the social interactions with other residents and staff. Maria could rarely be found in her room since she was playing Bingo, going to exercise classes, enjoying entertainers that performed on a regular basis, or just enjoying a cup of coffee and a chat in the lounge with her cousins Maria and Helen, who also lived at Scenic Acres.

When Maria’s physical needs became too great, she moved into the Brentwood Care Center where she lived for the past 2 ½ years. She was extremely well liked by the residents and staff there as was evident by the number of Health Care Aides who came to pay their respects to her in her final days.

Throughout her life, Maria’s priorities were faith and family. Even though an ocean separated her from her family in Germany, she never let the physical distance sever the connection she had to everyone she left behind when she left there as a young woman. Her family there will treasure her memory and all the good times they were able to spend with her, either on her numerous visits home or her family visits here once Germany was reunified.

Even though she left her family almost 70 years ago, she continued to support them in any way she could. As her nephew Ricky said in a farewell message to Maria, he always felt her love, even from such a distance, and he always knew that even when they were trapped behind the Iron Curtain, she never forgot about them. A sentiment that was shared by Maria’s entire family.

Because of this close connection to her family, some of Maria’s ashes will be brought back to Germany by her children and granddaughter next summer, to be scattered in Zschepplin, the village where she left a piece of her heart when she escaped, and where her parents are buried and many in her family still reside.

Maria faced many challenges in her life, but she faced them all with courage and dignity. She often said, “I’m a Leicht and Leicht’s are strong!” She showed us how to live with perseverance and strength and taught us to rely on our faith to get us through the hard times.

Thank you for everything you did for us, Mom/Oma! We will love you forever and you will never be forgotten!