Zofia PASZEK

Our loving mother's, grandmother's, great grandmother's journey which began in the peaceful village of Jankowicze, Poland has ended peacefully in her home, surrounded by love. By the age of seven, WW2 had broken out and Zofia's bucolic country life was peppered with invasions by other countries. It was during the Russian invasion that schooling in Polish ended and she was forced to adopt the Russian language. With the arrival of German troops, she and her family were deported to a labour camp in Germany. Thus began her strong work ethic and her ability to adapt from a very young age. At the end of the war, at the tender age of 16 and being the oldest child in the family, she journeyed to Canada. She was given the responsibility to prepare the way for herself and the eventual arrival of the rest of her family. During this time, Zofia worked on a Mennonite farm to pay off her passage, after which she saved for the arrival of her loved ones. Zofia's achieved her goal of reuniting her family at which point she was able to focus on her personal happiness that occurred when she met Edward, the love of her life, with whom she had three children - Lena(ta) Paszek, Roland Paszek and Rena(ta) Koegler. When Rena married Dan, Zofia's fold increased to four. Her family grew with the addition of nine grandchildren: Natalie, Bianca, Dylan (Alyssa), Sierra (Colin), Jessica (Jay), Philip (Carla), Madeleine, Sasha (Fern) and Nicolai (Shirley) as well as nine great grandchildren (Autumn, Gibson, Jasper, Caleb, Nathaniel, Olivia, Edward, Daniella, and Dior). Zofia, along with our beloved dad Edward, consistently supported all of us through their contributions to higher education, music camps, attending multiple concerts and soccer matches and even a punk rock performance given by a grandson's band. Our Mom/Grandma/Babcia/GG was the epitome of resilience, which manifested itself repeatedly during this last part of her journey. She offered acts of service throughout her life and was grateful for the smallest of things until her last breath. Our mom was able to remain in the comfort of her home owing to the exceptional care and companionship provided by her devoted PSW caregivers Pat, Jane, and Jill. Additional thanks go to Charity and Sharon, Paramed nurses who facilitated the resolution of medical issues with care and compassion. CarePartners e-shift PSW's Bernie and Rick are to be commended as well for their professional dedication to our mother's health needs. Yes, Mom/Grandma/Babcia/GG, we are warm enough, we have had enough to eat, we are well rested ... we will be o.k. Åšpij dobrze, Mamusiu/Babciu. Zofia's family will receive relatives and friends from 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM on Friday, February 24th, 2023, at the Henry Walser Funeral Home, 507 Frederick Street, Kitchener, 519-749-8467. Funeral Service in the Chapel on Friday at 1:00 PM. Reception to follow. A private family interment will take place at Woodland Cemetery at a later date. As expressions of sympathy, donations to The Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Poppy Trust Fund would be appreciated by the family (cards available at the funeral home).
Visit www.henrywalser.com for Zofia's memorial.