Mary KOWAL

KOWAL, Mary Anne
1948-2012
Mary Anne Kowal (nee Kowbel), passed into the loving arms of her Lord and Saviour at the age of 63 on May 16, 2012, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Left to cherish the memories and celebrate the life of this charming woman, whose zest for life was irrepressible, are her husband of almost 42 years, Modest, their children Johanna (Murray Dietrich) of Edmonton, AB; and Alicia (Graeme Carey), Justin (Lauren Dickson) and Katherine of Saskatoon, their grandchildren Rebecca and Stephen Dietrich of Edmonton and Isabella and Alexandria Carey of Saskatoon; her siblings Joanna (Peter Kapusta) of Saskatoon, Joseph (Janice Hauser) of Saskatoon, and Michael (Deborah Clark) of Kamloops, BC, and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her mother, Anne (nee Krywy) in 2005 and father, Joseph in 2007.
Mary Anne was born in Canora, SK on August 8, 1948, the first of four children. She excelled in academics and music throughout her youth, completing her ARCT in both piano performance and teaching before graduating from Grade 12. Mary Anne completed her B.A. and B.Ed. degrees at the U of S, and began teaching with the Saskatoon Public School Division before marrying Modest in 1970. She spent most of her career teaching music and English. She loved teaching, especially English grammar and writing, and preparing students for musicals, Remembrance Day services and school-wide Christmas concerts. Mary Anne formed many long-lasting friendships with students and teaching colleagues. She took great pride in maintaining those relationships over the years, not only remembering birthdays, anniversaries and other significant dates, but making phone calls and sending many, many cards. Mary Anne had an amazing memory for dates and numbers, and took great pride in connecting with family and friends "just because." She faithfully directed the choir at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church for almost 30 years, and most recently had been involved in assisting with singing at the St. Volodymyr Villa Chapel. Mary Anne passed along her love for classical instrumental and choral music, tirelessly driving her children to music lessons, symphony concerts and music festivals (accompanying the children in dozens of violin and vocal classes over the years). She found great joy in listening to her children sing together; every year for the past 20 years Mom and Dad have warmly welcomed a carolling group of their children and friends on Boxing Day. Mom was happiest when the entire family was together, particularly at Christmas and Easter, or on family road trips and vacations to the Kowbel cabin at Madge Lake, Disneyland, Disneyworld, and Mexico. Mom loved sharing stories about her grandchildren; she always had "just a few" photos of them in her purse.
The family wishes to thank Dr. Shahid Ahmed and the staff of the Saskatoon Cancer Centre and Dr. Mike Kelly and the staff on the RUH Neurosurgery Unit for their compassion and caring. A special thanks to Vera, mom's kindred spirit, for her friendship and unconditional love. Thanks to Luke for sharing his knowledge, and patiently supporting all of us over the past few years.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society ( www.cancer.ca ) or the Saskatoon Children's Choir ( www.saskatoonchildrenschoir.org ).
Prayers will be led by Rev. Fr. Yurij Lazurko on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church (10th Street and Munroe). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Rev. Fr. Ken Beck on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church (114 Kingsmere Place).
To send online condolences to the family, visit www.parkfuneral.ca "Obituaries & Tributes". Arrangements entrusted to Greg Lalach, PARK FUNERAL CHAPEL (306-244-2103).