Obituary of URSZULA ZBIGNIEWICZ

URSZULA TERESA MILEWSKA ZBIGNIEWICZ (1926-2013) Born at Jaroslawiec, Poland on 11 April 1926, the daughter of Janusz Milewski and Halina Braunek, Urszula died peacefully, with her daughters at her side, on 17 June 2013. She is survived by her daughter Maria (Gordon) and grandchildren Stefanie and Josef, and daughter Halina (Randy), sister Wanda Tomaszewska (Krakow, Poland), and numerous nieces, nephews and friends in Canada and around the world. She was predeceased by her husband Ludwik (Louie) in 1997, and her parents and sisters Krystyna Kintopf and Irene Welker. A happy childhood was spent on an estate in rural Poland. When the Second World War broke out, her life was changed forever. At the age of 13, she was forced to quit school and compelled to work for the Nazis. After the war, she completed her education and supported her family by working as a bookkeeper. In 1958, she emigrated to Canada with her mother and sister Krystyna to join her sister Irene at Welland, Ontario. Her first job was picking raspberries then she was a nanny. At Easter 1959, at a family baptism, she met confirmed bachelor Ludwik Zbigniewicz of Winnipeg. Their first impression was not entirely favourable but, through daily letters exchanged over three months, he invited her to Winnipeg for a week-long visit. Soon after arrival, he proposed to her while driving. She burst into tears, he was flustered and drove through a red light. Stopped by the police, he was let go when he explained the circumstances to the officer. They were married 10 days later and enjoyed 38 years of marriage. Urszula trained as a hairdresser and worked throughout the early years of family life, which saw the birth of her two daughters, the building of a cottage on Lake Winnipeg and tending a large garden in Charleswood, sailing and mushroom picking, and annual (loud) car trips in the station wagon. After Louie’s retirement, they travelled extensively, to such destinations as Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Hawaii, and the United States. She returned to Poland for two visits, one in 1972 with her family and, in 2001, with her daughter Halina. She was renowned as a gracious hostess who always ensured that her guests felt welcome and exceptionally well-fed (sometimes to excess). A devout Catholic, Urszula’s greatest joy was her family. After she was widowed, Urszula made a life for herself in a condo in Charleswood. Even as her eyesight was waning, she took up talking books with gusto after she could no longer indulge a life-long love of reading. She took up bowling, dancing, and many activities with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and Parkinsons’ Society. She doted on her two cherished grandchildren. She moved into a seniors’ home, due to her deteriorating health, in 2004. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Friday, 21 June 2013 at St. Andrew Bobola Roman Catholic Church, 541 Marion Street, Winnipeg. She will be interred beside her beloved Louie in a private ceremony. Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations may be made to the CNIB or the Parkinsons’ Society of Manitoba. The family would like to thank the nursing staff of the West Park Manor for their compassionate care over the last eight years. Wieczny odpoczynek racz Jej dać Panie.