We, the family of Aniela Nellie Ann Tynski, are saddened to announce the passing of our dear mother on Friday, February 26 at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Born in Sydney, she was the daughter of the late Antoni and Julia Nowak.
She was a devout member of St. Mary’s Polish Parish and a long-serving member of the parish Altar Society and St. Cecilia’s Choir. As a teenager, she left school to work at the Sugar Bowl on Charlotte Street to help support her family after her father fell ill. She was later employed at Sherman’s Grocery Store in the Pier. Upon marrying Dad, raising her family became her priority. She urged us to excel in school so our lives would be better. We will never forget the sumptuous aromas of the kitchen: sweet treats like pies and cakes and her famed paper-thin ginger snaps; wonderful meals of pierogi, cabbage rolls, kapusta and more. She was always knitting for us making mittens, sweaters, hats and slippers not to mention clothes for Barbie dolls. Her knitted baby sweater sets were given as gifts and sought after by family and extended family alike. When her own mother became ill, Mom and her sisters gathered each Sunday afternoon to spend time together with her. Upon their mother’s passing, this Sunday afternoon tradition blossomed into spirited games of rummoli for some three decades. Mom loved to read and kept her mind sharp doing search-a-word puzzles, and rarely missed The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune and Murder, She Wrote. Ultimately, her deep and unwavering Catholic faith guided her life. This faith and her pride in her Polish heritage led to a life-long service at St. Mary’s Polish Church. Mom always volunteered to make pierogi and cabbage rolls for fundraisers and thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of her parish family. She was so proud when a Polish pope was elected and elated when she had a private audience with the then Pope John Paul II in 1984 on his visit to Canada.
Nellie is survived by her children John Jr., Julia Bennett, Greg (Elana), Stephen (Carol), Joe (Tara), Paul, and Elaine (Chris) Shipley; sisters Jancia (Bernie) LaRusic and Mary Ryan; sister-in-law Anne Redmond; grandchildren John, Krysta, Katie, Jennifer (Eddie) Campbell, Michelle, Eric, Julie, Nicole, Ryan, Jacob and Laurenne; great grandchildren Kelsey and Keagan and her special granddaughter from India Mary Rinda Jacob.
Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, John; sister Bronia Markotich, son-in-law Leo Bennett, and brothers-in-law John Markotich and Raymond Ryan. There will be no visitation and burial will take place at a later date. Due to Covid-19 and space limitations, a private funeral mass will be celebrated by family at 10:00am on Tuesday, March 2 at St. Mary’s Polish Church with Rev. Paul K. Murphy officiating. Only those on the registration list will be allowed in the church. All names will be checked at the entrance. All Covid -19 protocols will be followed. For those unable to attend, the mass will be live-streamed on the Holy Redeemer Parish Facebook page (facebook.com/holyredeemerwhitneypier). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Mary’s Polish Church Building Fund, 21 Wesley St., or a charity of choice. Memorials and condolences may be shared with the family by visiting twcurry.com “Wieczny Odpoczynek.”
