Katie (Prokipchuk) Arseny

Katie passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Nov 10th  at the Emerson Personal Care Home;   6 days short of her 102nd birthday.  Pre-deceased by her husband Paul in 2014.    She leaves behind two children;  Audrey Burgess ( Ralph) grandson Tyler from Calgary.  Son Wayne; his three children   Cara (Didier) Mammosser, great grand-daughter Olivia from France,  Braeden & Tatiana (Evan) from Winnipeg.  Wayne’s partner Bev ( daughter Krista, her children Nicholas & Bella)

She was born in Vita on the homestead to John & Hafia Prokipchuk.  One of ten children;  5 brothers Mike (Mary), Metro ( Lena), Bill (Anne), Steve ( Helen) and Jack.   4 sisters Mary Pelensky, Annie (George), Lena ( Andrew),  & Doris ( Henry) All deceased.

To reflect back on someone having lived a century is not easy to cover in a short obituary. Viewing her address book directory; hundreds of names,  family members, doctors, dentists, and friends for her Christmas card list; all stroked off; all deceased ,she outlasted all of them! 

As a young girl she grew up on family farm in Vita,  walked 3 miles to Beckett School daily; lived in a white-washed log house with a thatched roof; did  farm chores, gardened, learned to cook and all the rest her mother taught her.  Her stories of her dad being the local undertaker of sorts; as there were no funeral homes. When someone died he was called.  In her late teens she went to work for large farmers in the Emerson area in summer; tending house, baby-sitting, cooking for farm hands. 

In her early 20’s she met Paul, the love of her life from Tolstoi. Mother told us Paul was so handsome and he had a CAR!    In today’s world distance between Tolstoi and Vita is short, but back  then his travel by horse-buggy or showing off his Model A car was difficult.  The roads were poor and in winter he had to take  the anti-freeze from the car and bringing it into the house to stay thawed till put back to drive home.

 On Feb 1st 1945 Paul and Kay got married in Winnipeg at the Disraeli Orthodox Church; no wedding, just 2 witnesses; and back to Tolstoi the next day as Paul had a farm to run.  Katie’s world changed drastically several times in her long life.  From a single girl to now married to Paul came added responsibility immediately.  To care for Paul’s  dad Jacob who was in up in age; no carehome as now.  Katie raised two children (Audrey and Wayne) but house hold tasks aside;  cooking, cleaning, came added responsibility to help Paul on the farm.  Milking cows, raising pigs, chickens,  having to learn how to drive the tractor to make hay, do field work and thresh.  She spent 57 years living in Tolstoi on the farm. Dedicated member to so many organizations; Tolstoi Ukr Orthodox Church, Ukr. National Home, Ukr Women’s institute, Tolstoi Seniors. While Katie never curled, she enrolled in almost every course to learn new crafts;  ceramics, quilting, embroidery, knitting, easter egg making.  She was a  perfectionist to make kolache and paskas.   

Katie took significant change in stride in 1970 on the farm.  They moved  from the old house with no running water, wood stove to cook on… to a new house…in door washroom, washer and dryer, no more wringer washing and carrying water.  Cooking on an electric stove! All major adjustment.  In 2002 came yet a more stressful  downsizing  of a life time of things.. the big retirement move to Emerson.   A pint size garden from an acre, small lawn from 6hrs mowing.  She adjusted; life was all about Paul and watching her grand children grow up.  In 2014 Paul passed away; heart broken as she was she adjusted again and spent the next 4 yrs living alone.   She spent hours watching the birds at the feeder; loved her gold fish and  to make Christmas/Easter Ukr meals, decorating her Christmas tree and making her Easter basket.

The last major life adjustment came in 2018 when she lost her ability to walk and in a wheel chair moved into the Emerson Care Home. Her little room was her last sanctuary;  pictures of her children, grandchildren, her 50th anniversary pic w/ Paul.. and her Christmas Cactus she cared for so dearly.  Her favourite TV shows were Dancing with the Stars and by far Dr POL the Veterinarian.  Watching him pull calves, deliver piglets and treating a horse captivated her totally.  In her late stage in life she loved to watch the Jets.   She rarely missed a game on TV and the one live game we took her to in Winnipeg she hated it.  Where’s the announcer?   Shieffe and Hellebochi were her favorites.  The last game we watched together was Nov 9th against Colorado 1-0.   She summed it up well”  they are doing good this year!” While she complained she could not see well when the Carillon News arrived she read every word of Helen Bially’s Tolstoi news!   Not leaving her room our cell phone pics of every church service, perogy making bee, or playing Bingo provided her with pictures of everyone  she still remembered.

In mom’s final months/ days the one thing she watched was Time.   The watch on the wall and clock on her bed, she insisted to always have them in view.   As I usually awakened her each evening with my daily visit her first question was; what time is it.. what day is it?  While the clocks continue to tick,  mother’s time on this earth stopped on Nov 10th. 

A long full life she had of joy for most, pain a plenty, she touched many in her 101 yrs.   A sincere thank you to the Care Home staff who so nicely took care of her to the last day. Thank you!     And to Bev who did so much for her. 

We will miss her dearly

Rest in Peace

Vichnaya Pamyat