Obituary of JEAN MARY BEMBENEK

Jean Mary Bembenek

1929  -  2022

We are saddened to announce the passing of Jean Mary Bembenek at Holy Family Home at the age of 93.

Jean was born in Baldur, Manitoba on March 2, 1929 to Peter and Helena (Kwiatkowski) Bembenek. Jean was predeceased by her parents, her brother John and sister-in-law Marcella, her brother Frank and sister-in-law Ann, her Brother Joe Bembenek, her sister Amy Ogrodnik and brother-in-law Charlie Ogrodnik, her sister Bernice Yaniw and brother-in-law Joe Yaniw, her sister Carol (Bembenek) Klem, her brother August and sister-in-law Helen, her brother Martin and sister-in-law Jean, her sister Rose Jurkowski and brother-in-law Henry Jurkowski, her brother Nick and sister-in-law Marion, her brother Paul and sister-in-law Helen, her sister Anna Bembenek and her brother Anthony Bambenek. Jean is survived by her brother Anthony’s wife Betsy Bambenek, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and all of their offspring.

Jean led a long life of devotion for her faith and for her family. She was a decades long parishioner of St. John Cantius Church. She also attended Mass at the St. Mary’s Cathedral quite often with her sister Anna. As well, the two sisters prayed the rosary regularly and both volunteered for many years at St. Joseph’s Residence.             

After the Bembenek family moved to Winnipeg in the 1940’s, Jean found work at a chocolate factory in the core area of Winnipeg. The plant was known as “Paulins Chambers”.

Jean described her first day of work as no picnic and all she could say at the end of it was “Lord help me!”  But she persevered. To tell the various chocolates apart for packaging, the women drew a different symbol for each line. They spooned the delicious chocolate mixture out of the tank with an ice cream scoop and put it into the small papers, and inside the centre of each “Cherry Whirl” they placed a cherry, of course! Lucky indeed was the niece or nephew who received a personally guided tour of the plant by Aunty Jean. After 40 years of work at Paulins, Jean took a well deserved retirement.            

Jean was very artistic. She would fashion wonderful floral creations using various sizes and colours of puffy pipe cleaners from the craft store. She was also an accomplished drawer and painter. She used coloured pencils, pastels, and oil paints.

A highlight of Jean’s life was when in 1988 she and her sister Anna made a trip to Medjugorje, Yugoslavia to visit a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Many thanks to the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate at Holy Family Home and the staff of Sacred Heart Unit 2A, especially Magda for her kind patience and compassion.             

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 10:00 am, at St John Cantius Parish, 846 Burrows Ave. with interment at Holy Ghost Cemetery, 4387 Main St.