Adeline (Popowich) Yaremkiewich

It is with immense sorrow that the family of Adeline Helen Yaremkiewich (nee Popowich) announces her peaceful passing on the early morning of June 5, 2022, at the age of 73 years. She was predeceased by her loving husband and our dear father, Donald Yaremkiewich in November 2020, as well as her parents, William and Effie Popowich and her infant sister, Katherine.

Mom was the dedicated mother of Tanya (Carlos) Yaremkiewich, Tara (Kevin) Okrainec and Tina Yaremkiewich. She also leaves to mourn her four grandchildren, Erica (Bill) Beddington, Theresita De Paz, Ashtyn (Nicole) Markusa and Carlos De Paz, together with her 3 beautiful great-grandchildren, Jaxon and Iyla De Paz and Kaliah Beddington.
Mom also leaves behind her sister June (Nick) Shymko and her brother Julian (Barbara) Popowich and each of their families, as well as extended family members Rhiannon (Shaun) Okrainec and family and Caitlan Okrainec, and several cousins and in-laws.

Mom began her young adult life as a teacher in Northern Manitoba. But, soon after meeting our father and getting married in 1971, and having a family of her own, family became and was undeniably Mom’s greatest loves and priority. She made the decision of leaving her profession to become a full-time mother to each of us as we grew through the years; all those good years and all those not-so-good years; either way, she was with us along the way, for everything and anything. From volunteering at our elementary school in the earlier years, to hosting family gatherings as often as she could, to supporting us in every aspect of our lives including taking part in the raising of all our children (her grandchildren). She would never refuse to spend time with any of us. She would eagerly wait for our visits and phone calls. We all just had to be prepared to get our ears talked off because when she had a story to tell it would lead to another story and another story….. She might have been our mother, but she was known as Baba by everyone else.

Although Mom lived a very simple life, she also lived it very happily. As we grew a little older and a little more independent, she then felt she had more time and it allowed her to broaden her horizons. She was always quite “artsy” and creative. She ventured into learning how to do cake decorating and not only did she enjoy it, she excelled in it and it was a bonus for the entire family as well – we all (including nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters) got a personally decorated cake for our birthdays, weddings, anniversary or any celebration you could possibly think of! She even took great interest and enrolled in classes to learn how to draw and do oil and water painting all of which creations we all enjoyed. But, her greatest talent of all was that she was a phenomenal cook! She took great pride and pleasure in making and teaching us (those who wanted to learn) how to make her homemade perogies, cabbage rolls, piroshky, and her out-of-this-world cheesecake!

Above all, Mom and Dad instilled massive amounts of morals, respect, modesty and love into each and every one of us, that will remain with us for generations to come. And they both showed us how to laugh and have fun too, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

Our fondest and most memorable thing about Mom is a funny one – now why did she name her daughters, Tanya, Tara and Tina? She was more confused about this than we were – when she tried to get just one of our attentions very quickly she would yell out “Tanya, Tara, Tina….. t, t, t, t, t”, followed by “Girls, come here!”. We would all come and then she would just point at one of us that she wanted to talk to and the other two would leave. She would also call out to our father, “Donny!”, in a very high-pitched voice which soon became the way most everyone called him!

As illness slowly overtook her body, she still insisted on organizing a bridal shower for her oldest granddaughter, Erica, in 2018 and making a memory quilt for her from pieces of old clothing of Erica’s from her childhood. The great-grandchildren were soon coming and she quickly put herself to work knitting blankets, sweaters, hats and more!

In keeping with Mom’s wishes, a private family viewing and cremation have already taken place.

Thank you for being the coolest Mother, Baba and Great Baba and for loving all of us, including your love for Dad. We are so relieved that you are now illness and pain-free and that you will finally be reunited with Dad. Take care of each other as you always have. You will not be forgotten. Until we meet again…

A very special thank you to all who have contributed to the care, comfort and attention of Mom – all the doctors (teams of doctors), nurses, specialists and healthcare workers. An extra special thank you to Dr. Liam O’Neil who stopped at nothing and took leaps and bounds to diligently care for Mom. He was a great comfort to us as we feel he always had Mom’s very best interest at heart and treated her as if she was his own mother, and for that, we are truly grateful. However, the one person’s impact that far exceeded any medical intervention was that of Tina who, as she did with Dad, attended to Mom as her primary caregiver, attending to her every need (as she needed), every day, throughout the years, both at home and while she was hospitalized. Tina: as you were always Mom’s and Dad’s special angel, may you take deep comfort in knowing that they are now and will always be yours.

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