Obituary of Kathreen Elizabeth Rose Zanyk
ZANYK, Kathreen - our sweet Mom, Grammy, and Great-Grammy, died on December 14, of pneumonia. Her daughters Sheila and Jan were with her when she died. She was characteristically brave and dignified to the end.
Kathreen Elizabeth Rose Martindale was born on January 4, 1935, in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Married to Joseph Zanyk in 1955. Lived in Edmonton, then Kamloops, and then moved to Sarnia in 1956. Kathreen and Joe raised four daughters, had many friends, and cared for a constant collection of animals, mostly dogs, the odd stray cat, and even a chicken and a goose.
Kathreen loved the Carolinian forest of Sarnia and made and tended to beautiful gardens. She also grew and nurtured hundreds of plants in her sunroom, and appreciated the unique beauty of the vegetation in the Bruce Peninsula, where they had their cottage on Lake Huron. Kathreen loved Sarnia for its magnolia trees and the beautiful lake and river.
In retirement Kathreen and Joe built a larger house so kids and grandkids would have a place to come, and they hosted large and lively family gatherings, both at home and at the cottage. Kathreen’s repeated requests for grandchildren were rewarded with fourteen grandchildren among her four daughters and sons-in-law. In her last four years, she took great pleasure in the arrival of four great-grandchildren, and spent hours repeatedly watching videos and photos of them.
Kathreen and Joe traveled several times, and her close friendships included a couple in the Netherlands, and a woman she met in China. She made new friends in her older age, and was very grateful for the kindness she has been shown by people close by.
Kathreen leaves her family behind, saddened by her sudden departure: her daughters Lisa, Jan, Sheila and Marien, and her sons in law, Jan’s husband David and Sheila’s husband John. She loved her sons-in-law very much, and her grandchildren and their partners: Michael and Sarah, Stephen, Kira, Danny and Helen, Jack and Jess, Shona, Katie and Apu, Liam and Yessi, Karina and Austen, Sean and Lily, Julia and Ryan, Nicholas, Noah, and Leo. And her great-grandchildren Caleb, Theo, Seb, Ally, and soon-to-be-born “Paint-a-Picture.”
Her family is planning to celebrate her life on the day they had planned for her 90th birthday party, an event she was greatly looking forward to. She will be celebrated and loved and missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations to The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada,6981 Conc. 4, Puslinch ON N0B 2J0 or https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/ would be gratefully appreciated.
Arrangements entrusted to The McKENZIE & BLUNDY FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION CENTRE, 431 Christina St. N., Sarnia. Messages of condolence & memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com
