Born in Poland on June 26th, 1939, immigrated to Canada in 1983 and has made it her home for the past 40 years. Predeceased by her late husbands Wladyslaw Gasior and Jozef Beben, her son Wesley Gasior and her late brothers Stanley, Henry and Jozef Nowosad all from Poland. She was a cousin to Kathy Morrison, Jean Morrison and Kristin Barker. She was a step-mom to Irene, Helen, Teresa and John and a special friend to late Alwina Gulaj, Maria Schwartz, Janina Krukar, Robert and Rosemary Dziedzic. She has also embraced Alexa, echo show device, as her new friend since her move to the F. J. Davey Home. She would ask Alexa about the weather, the news, to play polish songs, a movie or, her very favourite,chirping birds and nature sounds which brought her inner peace. She will be forever missed by her daughter Danuta Nemeth, son-in-law Imre Nemeth and the only granddaughter and the apple of her eye Nisha Nemeth. Regina will be remembered by her nieces and nephews and many relatives in Poland. The love she had for her family was deep and unconditional.
The family was her life's purpose and for that we will love and cherish her forever. She also loved to garden and cook and to share her food with family and friends. She created many lifelong and unforgettable memories with her very special friends, Maria and Alwina, with whom she shared a deep friendship that lasted nearly 40 years. She always placed the needs of others before her own and was a kind, caring and a selfless soul. She will also be fondly remembered for her great sense of humor. Her quick and witty comments and replies brought many good “belly laughs” to those in her company. She was a talented seamstress, worked for March of Dimes as a caregiver, loved to travel and to stay connected with friends but being a grandmother was by far the most fulfilling role in her life. She was the best babcia ever. We are so grateful for having had her in our lives for so many years, for being the pillar of incredible strength, our beacon in times of storms and a teacher of unwavering resilience. We have no doubt that she will continue to watch over us from Heaven.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for the compassionate care provided to our mom over the last couple of years by the healthcare team at the SAH 's multiple departments, the staff of the F.J. Davey Home and of the Paramed Community Care.
Family and friends are invited to Arthur Funeral Home - Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East, 705-759-2522) on Thursday, September 7, 2023 from 6 - 8 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated at the Holy Family Parish on Friday, September 8, 2023 at 11 am. Rev. Boguslaw Jaroszek officiating. The service can be viewed anytime up to 90 days. Go to www.funeraweb.tv and select Regina's name to view the service. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to Holy Family Parish, A.R.C.H, or to the F.J. Davey Home Foundation. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the family.
God has you in his arms and we have you in our hearts for eternity.
“Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same, but as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again “
Author : Ron Tranmer
My dear mom and beloved grandmother,
We knew that this day would come someday but did not think that it would come today. It came way too soon. We wanted to have you in our lives for just a little bit longer because we knew having you for eternity would not be possible. You, however, were getting tired and have been preparing to leave this life on Earth and transition to living at the side of God, our creator. He too knew that you were getting tired and spared you the suffering. It would be selfish of us to hang on to you.. We did not want to see you suffer either.
You have been a wonderful mother to myself and my brother Wesley. When we were in kindergarden and elementary school , you would always make sure that we had good homemade lunches to eat, that we wore nice handmade clothes which you made yourself and that you would always pick us up at the end of the day. The kindergarten teacher would ask you where you were buying our clothes from and could not believe that you made them yourself. You would always be celebrating our successes, would always encourage us to persevere and stay a course. You would offer a shoulder to cry on and the arm to lean on, you would stay up at night watching over us when we were ill. Your life's mission was to take care of the family. And it wasn't just us, your children.. It was also your parents, your in-laws and the list goes on. For many years you would be helping your parents by working the farm and it was hard work. Slowly, one by one you ,have endured the loss of everyone from your immediate family. First it was your dad who died unexpectedly of a stroke. Then it was your second youngest brother who also died suddenly. Then it was your mom ,who by the way looked just like you, and died at almost the same age as you. The oldest brother lived the longest and passed away a couple of years ago. You came to Canada in 1983. That year you met your second husband Jozef. Jozef was the widower with 4 children 3 of which were still living at home. Without hesitation you stepped right in into the role of a stepmother. You and Ircia connected and became almost inseparable shortly after your entry into their lives. You became a great stepmom and a great homemaker. Every Sunday we would get together for dinner after the Sunday mass. Those were great times and many pictures were taken to commemorate those special Sundays.. You went to work on a farm for Bolek Rosinski on Baseline and became what is now called a PSW worker for the March of Dimes.You cared deeply for the people you served.
You have met a couple of my good friends and became best friends with them. Their names were Maria and Alwina. They came to every family celebration and were regarded as our family. Over a period of time deep friendship bonds have been created which lasted for nearly 40 years. There were almost daily summer trips to nature, usually to sit by the potok ( creek) and trips to bush to pick wild mushroom which were by far your favourite. You knew your mushrooms and we trusted you with our lives when we ate the soups and gravies and sauerkraut/mushroom pierogies you have made with them. Then there were spontaneous get-togethers to share a drink or 2 and good food, but most importantly those gatherings were known for great humor and great laughter.
You would have long telephone conversations on a phone with your friends also. Sometimes the phone line was busy for several hours and I had to drive to your home to either deliver a message or to check on you. We even got you a “hold” feature on your phone but, unfortunately, it was somewhat cumbersome for you to use, so you just started to ignore the beep sound and continued on with your conversation, especially when you spoke with you dear friend Alwina, who has also passed unexpectedly just a little over a year ago and whose absence you felt almost daily.
33 years ago, Nisha ,your granddaughter, has entered your life and it has changed it forever. You would often speak of this incredible love you have felt for her, beyond your comprehension. The word “ I love you “was used several times during the day and that word was used rather sparingly up until then. You showed us your love more than you expressed it in words. But with Nisha, those words were said more often than any other. Nisha learned to speak Polish from you and learned it so well that she didn't really speak English very well when she started school. People thought that she came from Poland. You played fun games with her ,you would dress up with her, you would play hide and seek with her, you would tell her most elaborate bedtime stories, which many of them were made up by you impromptu. You were very good at making them up as you went. When you wanted Nisha to eat food she didn't care for, you would convince her that this came from Tim Hortons and to this day she thinks that the green bean chowder soup is one of Tim Hortons trademarks. You took trips with us , endured I max rides which made you feel dizzy and nauseated afterwards, ran after a bus driver who carried someone else’s luggage which you thought was ours and were ready to fight him for it. You patiently sat in the back seat of a rental car while I was driving around a dugged up Howard Johnson Hotel trying to find the entrance, which was not the hotel we were staying at, but which I believed was purposely surrounded by dugged up soil as part of a scheme to separate us from our possessions and documents with the intent to rob us and steal our identities. I must have been really tired !
You would surprise your friends when they entered your home and saw you standing up on a chair , looking somewhat like a mermaid and singing a song to welcome them in. Your imagination and a great sense of humor was quite remarkable and will be fondly remembered by many.
You were a kid at heart mom, despite the troubles and harshness that have been in and out of your life since adulthood. You lost your son tragically, your first and second husband, all of your siblings, but you carried on, stoically and seemingly unscathed by all the sadness in your life. Your spirit not broken, your resilience not crumbling…. there you were , standing like the beacon in the midst of our greatest life storms.
Your good sense of humor and acceptance of what is , which is known as radical acceptance, will be your legacy mom.
Exactly one year ago you lost your leg and some of your independence. Living out the rest of your days was not how you have envisioned them to be. An 8 month stay at the hospital, 3 surgeries on the stump, many falls with injuries, what an ordeal. But, you came to accept your fate, moved to a nursing home, lost your garden, your yard, your flowers, your home.
You tried to make the best though and focused on the positives of nursing home living: don't have to clean, do laundry, cook, do dishes, cut grass or trim hedges anymore.
You got your clothes laundered, delivered to your room nicely folded, good meals placed on the table and thoroughly enjoying a " jacuzzi" bath twice a week. New normal. Every Wednesday we visited your very good friend pani Jasia Krukar . We would sit in sunshine, on a patio and look at her garden and flowers and delight in her polish meals and baking she would prepare especially for you. You had her barszcz czerwony (borscht) for your last meal.
Staff at the Davey Home thought you were the sweetest, cutest, nicest and said they wished all residents were like you. I have heard them call you Queen Regina and some were singing " Glory glory alleluja" with you.
You and another resident in her 90s were becoming friends, you gave her homemade pickles and pickled beets, she gave you crackers and granola bars, you cut up and snuck in some apples and left it on her chair, you found little packages of raisins on yours.
You accepted all without judgment, cheered others up without complaining about own misfortunes, always put the needs of others ahead of your own. This too will be your legacy mom.
You made great meals and shared them with anyone who came to visit and if they didn't visit but you thought they would like it, you delivered it to them
You made the best"torts" (Layer cake) from scratch and decorated them , not sparing spiritus mixed with tea to use as a moisturizing liquid to make them moist. You cake decorating skills were also admirable.
Your bigos ( hunter’s stew), barszcz borscht), Galareta ( headcheese),pierogi and galabki ( cabbage rolls) were the best and no one will ever be able to match them. You would whip out 20 dozens of pierogies before some people would even get up and did that at the age of 82 too!
I could reminisce and talk about you for hours and hours but thought of only mentioning the memorable things that came to my mind as I am writing this eulogy. I wanted to portray who you were in our lives and describe the memories you imprinted in our hearts for eternity.
Know that you were loved deeply because you truly deserved to be. Your kindness and consideration, love for all, forgiveness and the iconic smile did not go unnoticed.
Even during last couple of days, everyone I spoke with to either let them know of your passing or ask for help with funeral mass or meal, stated how saddened they were by your departure because you were" taka dobra kobieta" ( such a good woman). They rearranged their lives or work schedules to be a part of the last step on your earthly journey.
We are so very grateful to have had you in our lives for this long, void created by your departure will never be filled. As I say this though I can hear your words : “everyone born has to die” and such is life, accept it.
I would like to say that you are taking a piece of my heart with you ,but, since you are a giver and not a taker, I need to reword it and tell you that I am giving you a piece of my heart. I want you to keep it for me and take care of it until we meet again.
Love you dearly and for eternity.
I would like to conclude this eulogy with a poem. In keeping with who she was as a person, she would not want us to dwell on her loss but to move on with our lives, therefore ,I have selected this poem for the reading.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.17