Rose Yukich Wysynski

Rose Marie Yukich was born on June 3, 1924, at her parents' home on James Street, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Her parents were Joseph and Katherine (Vlahovic) Yukich. Her entry into the world was in the careful hands of midwife Anna Marinelli, who was assisted by Rose's aunts Helen Yukich and Petra Filipich.

Rose grew up within a large family, where she was the eldest of seven children. She had three sisters and three brothers. Antoinette, Ann and Reta were Rose's cherished sisters, and John, George, and Edward were her loving brothers. Rose was constantly involved in all sorts of activities with her family. She was even-tempered, taking care not to get involved in too many family conflicts. This quality served her well, in bringing harmony, understanding and a sense of peace to the family. Rose carried these traits into her adult life, and family and friends found her pleasurable and delightful to be around. Rose was a person who genuinely understood and cared for others, making lasting connections with those she knew. She had several godchildren, and was affectionately known as "Kuma (godmother) Rosie" to a number of her children's friends, as well.

Many things can be said about Rose Wysynski. Known to friends and acquaintances as a friendly, empathic and determined woman, she also had strong opinions, and was fondly, and jokingly, termed a "stubborn Yukich", seemingly a family trait. Her compassionate nature would always shine through, however, revealing her warmth and gentle demeanour. She was conscientious and organized in all the things she sought to accomplish. Rose was a mentor and brought out the best in those around her. She generally had a focus on harmony and peace.

Rose was a life-long resident of Sault Ste. Marie, living on James Street, Albert Street West, Queen Street, and Letcher Street in her youth. As a young girl, Rose was imaginative, ingenious, clever and cheerful. Regardless of whether her peers were older or younger, or came from different backgrounds, Rose could easily relate to other kids. To quote Rose, from her "Memories for Granddaughter K. C." book, "Saturday afternoons I went to the movies. The admission price was 10 cents, popcorn, chocolates and pop were 5 cents. They usually had two features. After the main feature they had a show in ten chapters, one every Saturday until all ten played.". However, to Rose, the most fun to be had was simply playing Tag, Run-Sheep-Run, or other games, and spending time with her many cousins and friends. There were often 3 or 4 cousins sleeping in the same bed at the Yukich house. Minnie, Elsie, Helen, Mary, Norma, Martin, Matt, Joe, Tony, Rudy - all were frequent visitors. They related fond memories of warm times and good meals enjoyed at Aunt Katarina's house, where there was an "open house" policy, and always a big pot of cocoa on the stove. Her parents played a large role in raising family friends George and Anna Matejic, and their example of a welcoming haven was echoed in Rose's marital home at 974 Wallace Terrace, in the Sault. Rose's life-long chum (her word) was Irene Fasanello. They remained close, even after her friend became Irene Derrow and moved to Menominee, Wisconsin.

During her high school years, Rose constantly offered her support and encouragement to fellow members of the groups and activities in which she participated. She did well in school and genuinely enjoyed telling stories. Rose was often found to be the lead person facilitating a group activity, frequently filling the role of being “the life of the party.” Teachers and classmates knew Rose as an excellent listener. She placed a high value on learning and always understood that it was a life-long process. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Anna McCrea. Miss McCrea was a great teacher and friend who was always there to help any of her pupils or their families. Miss McCrea strongly urged Rose's parents to allow her to attend university, as she was such an intelligent and excellent student; however, this was not affordable. A school was named in Miss McCrea's honour, and two of Rose's grandchildren, Sheppard and K. C., attended Anna McCrea public school.

On May 24, 1946, Rose met her husband-to-be, Alexander Joseph Wysynski, at a dance at the Bay View Goulais Avenue Hall. Alec escorted her home at the end of the dance. It did not take long for them to realize that they wanted to love and cherish each other always. Alec proposed marriage on August 17, 1946. Rose's response? "Oh, yes!" The engagement was announced at a New Year's Eve party and dance at the Bay View Goulais Avenue Hall, at 2 a.m. on January 1, 1947. Upon arriving at Rose's home, 188 Letcher Street, Alec placed the lovely engagement ring on her finger, surprising Rose's family and friends. The happy couple was married on June 14, 1947. The wedding took place at St. Veronica Church, Sault Ste. Marie, officiated by Father V. J. O'Donnell. Maid of Honour was Rose's sister, Antoinette, and the bridesmaids were sister Ann Yukich and cousins Elsie Yukich and Norma Filipich. Best Man was Joe Chikoski, and the ushers were Alec's brothers Rudy and Bill, and friend Stan Zeppa. The luncheon and reception took place at the Bay View Parish Hall. Rose and Alexander honeymooned at Mark's Bay (near Leigh's Bay), just west of the Sault.

Compassionate and devoted, Rose worked hard to make her new family happy. She was always generous with her time, and this meant that Alexander came first in Rose’s book. She was always caring and made certain that she considered Alec's feelings. By trusting her emotions, Rose did her best to make sure that both the marriage and home life ran smoothly. This is just one more example of how Rose was truly a person of empathy. She was an accomplished seamstress and fabulous cook, famous for her veal stew, delicious spaghetti sauce and her special risotto dish. There was always fresh baking in the Wysynski household when the children were young, and Rose frequently made Alec's favourite apple cake for him. Alec, in turn, would bring home vanilla ice cream for her (she was known for her love of ice cream!), which he often purchased with his stipend for umpiring baseball games. Rose was widowed, sadly, at the much-too-early age of 44, when her beloved Alex was killed in an industrial accident at Algoma Steel, on November 6, 1968.

Rose’s quality of being a caring and tolerant person, who was very accepting of others, translated to being a good mother to her children. Rose shared these values with her 6 children; Rose has 5 boys, Alexander Jr., who died at the young age of two, David, Patrick, Allan, Michael and one daughter, Diane. Rose was blessed with with 5 grandchildren, whom she loved unconditionally and dearly; Tricia, Trevor, Sheppard, K. C. and Lua. Rose also has one great-granddaughter, Aimee Rose, and a great-grandson, Kaleb Alexander, who was born barely two weeks after Rose's passing. Rose related well to children of all ages and was able to connect with them on their level. The children always loved her and she was completely and totally devoted to them.

Rose experienced success in her work life over and over again. Her primary occupation and main focus was as loving wife and mother to her family. Prior to getting married, Rose worked at her cousin's Mayfair Bakery on Wellington Street. In the early 70's, Rose worked in the hospitality industry at the Caswell Hotel and Watertower Inn with her sisters and did payroll for Parnell Foods in Algoma Steel until the late seventies. Rose was an Avon Representative, obtaining President Club status several times. Rose always made the effort to understand what was needed at work, and was well known by her colleagues as a team player. Rose took pride in managing her professional responsibilities and seemed to always know what was necessary to successfully complete a project. Rose was one to take the initiative and her skills at working cooperatively were highly valued. Rose continually sought to learn what her co-workers did well and how they were most effective, a talent that enabled her to help them develop their own potential.

Always considered a “good” friend, Rose sought to understand the things that others enjoyed. For this reason Rose always seemed to possess a never-ending collection of acquaintances. Rose’s friends found her easy to know and get along with because of her talent for being socially at ease, adept at conversation, and always amiable in her dealings with others. Rose would always seek to learn what her friends enjoyed, and she would go out of her way to make sure that their needs were met. Rose was always seen as the type of person who was the more gracious giver. In fact, she sometimes felt ill at ease when she was the one on the receiving end. Throughout her life she had many friends. As a married woman, she became fast and true friends with Peggy Bolduc, Pauline Coyne and Marg Hayes-Sheen. Together the four of them shared their adventures, successes, sorrows and dreams over many decades. Peggy best described their special friendship in a letter she sent to Dave after Rose passed away. Here is an excerpt: “It's been 50 years. Such devotion to family and friends is a plus for all. We shared many a snack, cup of tea and a meal. At a restaurant her favourite and most often request was for a hamburger. From shopping on a day outing across the river to cruising St. Joe's Island and overnight stays at Coyne's Camp. Of course 90% of the time we would play cards to round out the day. Marg always had a little story or joke to tell. Such wonderful memories. We even went picking blueberries on Ranger Lake Rd. and stopped at Annie's camp for a swim".

Because she was organized and methodical, Rose took great pleasure in her various hobbies. Rose loved playing cards, bingo and doing jigsaw puzzles. She would play cards till all hours of the early morning, but always still had the energy to go to garage sales whenever she could! Rose also enjoyed walking the neighbourhood with her girlfriends. Rose enjoyed sharing her passions with others - she loved old movies, especially musicals. In high school, Rose seemed to spend more time at local teen hangouts such as Capy's on Queen Street and Piner's Grill on Gore Street than playing sports or joining school clubs. Rose bowled for many years as a member of the Bayview Terriers, league champions in the late 60's, two years running. Rose was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favourite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were figure skating, gymnastics, and dancing.

Throughout her life, Rose was actively involved in community organizations. Rose was known to her peers as being able to strengthen any group endeavour. When called on, Rose was a natural leader who created harmony and good relationships within the group, often putting her own needs aside. Rose’s involvement could easily help structure and organize any part of an organization. An added benefit was Rose’s ability to bring valued principles along with her. Throughout her adult years, Rose was an active member of the Catholic Women's League and the St. Francis School Parent-Teacher Association, and did volunteer work at Red Cross blood donor clinics, as well as being a canvasser for the Canadian Cancer Society. She generously volunteered in support of her children's activities, most notably the Sault Twirlettes, the Bandettes and the Croatian Tamburitza Kolo Dancers - she sewed a lot of uniforms and costumes, and boy, could she get football and basketball uniforms sparkly clean! Len Monico of the Sault Steelers would have liked "Mama BioAd" to wash all of the team's uniforms. She was always viewed by others as someone who built bridges, connected to people, and upheld her personal values. Politically, Rose Marie was ahead of her time and her generation as a quiet supporter of women's rights.

Rose’s faith was important to her. She was a member Holy Rosary Church, now known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, while growing up in the West End. After she was married, she attended St. Veronica church for ten years with her growing family, and when Alex and Rose moved to Brookfield, they attended St. Joseph the Worker parish. During that time, she was involved with the Catholic Women's League and she also washed the altar linens and the Priest's Vestments at St Joseph the Worker every Monday for years. Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Rose was given accolades for her many and varied efforts throughout her life. If the truth were known, Rose was always a little uncomfortable with being singled out for recognition.

Rose enjoyed traveling, and her gift for keeping things lively meant that vacations with Rose were always enjoyable. Favourite vacations included her many trips to Florida with her grandchildren Shep and K. C. and her European Tour in the early 80's with Jean d' Arc and Shannon Sullivan. Especially memorable to her was the journey she made to visit her roots and relatives in Croatia with her sisters Annie and Reta. In Rose's last few years she took great pleasure in being able to travel to visit her grandchildren and share their milestones with them. She relished spending her last two Christmases with her great-grandchild and namesake, Aimee Rose, in Hamilton. She was a long-time member of the "Young at Heart" club, along with her sisters, brother and sister-in-law, and friends. She looked forward to her outings and meetings with the club.

Rose was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Rose adopted Dave's Miniature Schnauzers Pepper and Shadow, who spent many an hour quietly sitting on her lap over the past 30 years. She even became fond of Chance, the cat, who also was attracted to Rose's lap for a nap and a pet. Diane's two pets became Rose's "grandcats" - Rose always bought Christmas gifts for the family pets.

Being the focused and organized person that she was, Rose took care to plan for the latter part of her life. She sold the family home on Wallace Terrace, and spent her last 21 plus years living in her apartment on Second Line West. It was large and seemed much like a house; Rose made it a warm and welcoming home for all who spent time there. In retirement, Rose took pleasure in many of the things she found pleasure in all her life: her family and friends and sharing and supporting them in good times and in times that were challenging: always with a warm smile and a gentle hug. Even in retirement, Rose continued to stay in touch with her old friends and made plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in the community and felt fulfilled.

Rose passed away on October 4, 2011 at 23:10 at Sault Area Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She fought a brave battle against liver cancer. Rose is survived by her children David, Patrick, Allan, Diane and Michael; her grandchildren, Tricia, Trevor, Sheppard, K. C. and Lua and her great-granddaughter Aimee Rose, great-grandson Kaleb Alexander, and sister Reta. Services were held at Arthur Funeral Home. Rose was laid to rest in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery between her beloved late husband, Alexander and her precious first-born, Alexander Joseph Jr.

Throughout her life, Rose was a warm and enthusiastic woman. She was generous in sharing her personal attributes, giving to and helping those she knew and loved. She would often fill the role of coach, bringing out the best in everyone. She was imaginative, tender-hearted and easy to get along with. Everybody loved "Rosie". The most freqent descriptor for Rose was "sweet". Rose leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and cherished memories. Everyone whose lives she touched will dearly remember Rose Wysynski.

WYSYNSKI, Rose Marie – It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our precious mother at the Sault Area Hospital on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at the age of 87. Beloved wife of the late Alexander. Loving mother of the late Alexander Joseph Jr., David (Maureen Sullivan), Patrick (Debbie), Allan (Eun Jung “E.J.”), Diane and Michael. Cherished grandmother of Tricia (Jeff Albanese), Trevor (Lisa), Sheppard (Jeannine Longchamps), K.C. (Andrew Keesmaat) and Lua Marie. Proud great grandmother of Aimee Rose. Daughter of the late Joseph and Katherine Yukich. Rose is survived by her sister Reta Beauchamp (late Justin) and predeceased by her siblings Antoinette Chikoski (late Joseph), John Yukich (late Mary), Ann Zeppa (Stanley “Speed”) George Yukich and Edward Yukich (Shelby). Sister-in-law of Stanley Wyszynski (Margaret), Michael Wysynski (Lorraine), late John Wysynski (late Mary), late Catherine McNulty (late Pat), late Ann Gretschyn (late Joe), late Rudy Wysynski (late Eva), late Bill Wysynski (Barbara Millroy). Devoted Auntie and “Kuma Rosie” to many loving nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Friday, October 7, 2011 from 9 am until the time of the service in the chapel at 11 am. Father Jaroslaw Lazoryk officiating. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Memorial donations made to the Sault Area Hospital Cancer Care Fund or the Canadian Hearing Society would be appreciated by the family.