Obituary of HELEN ELIZABETH KOZAK

On July 31, 2016 our dear mom and nan peacefully slipped away. Left to mourn her passing are her children Muriel and Rod, son-in-law Les, daughter-in-law Bonnie, her grandchildren Marcie, Adam and Sean, and her brother Gerry. While saddened that she is no longer with us, we take comfort in the love and memories she has left with us. She enjoyed a long and happy life, and often said “If I could do it all over again, I would.” Born in Ituna, Saskatchewan March 1, 1923, Helen was raised in a large family of 11 children. She loved her siblings Mary, Anne, Stella, Ed, Joe, Frank, Walter, Mike, Vern and Gerry dearly. She always spoke of the fun and love that they shared growing up in Biggar and Semans Saskatchewan. She enjoyed close relationships with each of them throughout her life, even when separated by distance. Helen moved to Winnipeg where she met Nick Kozak. They lived in Toronto for a few years before returning to Winnipeg where they remained until Nick’s passing in 1989. Helen was a people person so a career in retail clothing was a perfect “fit”. In 1959 she was manager of the Pennington’s store in the brand new Polo Park Shopping Centre. She remained working in retail until retiring in the late 1980’s after managing a number of Ricki’s stores. Polo Park was a second home to Helen. She loved going there after her retirement, not to shop, but to meet friends, former co-workers or old customers for coffee. Although she took many nice trips across Canada and the U.S., her favourite pastime was riding the bus with her sister Mary. The depth of Helen’s love for her grandchildren was immeasurable. Her smile lit up the room when they came to visit. She was a wonderful nan to each of them and never missed an opportunity to tell them how much she loved them and how much they meant to her. Every chance she could she would “spoil them rotten”. Helen lived in her own home until moving to the Rosewood in 2012. She enjoyed 4 years of comfort there and appreciated all of the staff, especially the van rides with Rocky. After a brief illness, Helen moved to Misericordia Place and even though she was only there a few weeks, we thank the staff for their gentle care of our mom and nan. Helen was laid to rest next to her husband Nick in All Saints Cemetery. She will be in our hearts forever.