Theresa Bohdanna Dolenga

With sadness we announce the passing of Theresa Bohdanna Dolenga, age 88, of Chilliwack, British Columbia. Born in Kremenets, Ukraine on January 29, 1936, she passed away peacefully after battling lung cancer on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at the Christine Morrison Hospice in Mission, BC. Theresa is survived by her son Michael, his wife Inessa, and her grandsons Mykhailo and David. She is also survived by cousins Iryna, Yaryna, Markiyan and their families in Ukraine.

Theresa came to Canada in 1948 with her parents after the Second World War and settled in Montreal, where she attended McGill University and graduated with honors in political science and economics. She worked in the United Nations in New York City in the 1960s and later as a journalist and finally for the Niagara Parks Commission.

She had a sharp intellect, spoke several languages and had an abiding curiosity about so many things. She loved opera, particularly the works of Verdi and Puccini. She was a lifelong animal lover, never turning away a hungry cat from her door. Theresa also had an uncanny knack of meeting famous people. The most recent was Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenskaya on their visit to Canada in 2019.

Not long ago this octogenarian bravely moved out west to Chilliwack to be closer to her family. We are all blessed by the time we spent with her, and she no doubt learned a great deal about dinosaurs from her beloved David.

Cremation has already taken place. In lieu of flowers, we request donations in her name to your nearest animal shelter.