Julie Koltusky

Mom was never one for grand gestures, fancy displays or flowery words. Like many of her generation she expressed herself through her daily actions and her career.

She dedicated her adult life to caring for the aged and infirmed while working at The International, Hillcrest and Dinsdale Personal Care Homes. When it came time for her mother (Jenny) to enter personal care she went to Dinsdale, and Mom cared for her til she passed. And when Dad fell ill Mom cared for him for as long as she could prior to his entering personal care and then visited him every day to help him with his evening meal.

Taking care of people is what she did. It was who she was.

When not working she loved to garden, crochet, and cook…and boy could she cook. It was one of the ways she showed her family how much she loved them. She was not a prideful woman, but she did take pride in her cooking.

After retiring from personal care work, she found a fondness for watching curling. It’s not often one finds a new sporting hobby late in life, but Mom did, and she really enjoyed watching The Brier and Tournament of Hearts and I enjoyed talking with her about them.

She never lost her love of gardening and did so right up to her last summer prior to entering personal care where she was cared for with great love and attention by the staff at The Sandy Lake Personal Care Home.

She was the proverbial salt of the Earth and with her passing and the passing of so many others of her generation (including her husband, Peter) the world is changing…and not necessarily for the better. There’s a reason they are called The Greatest Generation.

 I will miss her counsel…her shoulder…and her perogies.

 Goodbye, Mom. Rest in Peace.