Lena Evancio

Lena, the youngest of nine children, was born on January 14, 1924 to Tymko (Tom) and Annie (Koziol) Skochylas in the Homefield district. She completed her grade 8 education at Beaver Hills, a typical one room country school. Subsequently, she helped on the family farm with her older siblings and then gained employment as a housekeeper for a local farmer until she caught the eye of Bill. On November 24, 1942, Bill and Lena were united in holy union at Ituna Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church by the Very Reverend Stephen S. Shawel. They settled on the Evancio homestead in the Homefield district and were blessed with two children, a son Ed and nine years later, a daughter Vicki. They continued their mixed farming operation on the same family homestead throughout their farming years. Mom may not have had a high school education or a university degree, however, she definitely graduated “with honours” from the “school of hard knocks”. She always had the determination and the skill set to challenge any and every task on the farm. Not only did she vigorously embrace domestic and gardening chores, she worked side by side with Bill in all farming duties including harvesting, fencing, picking stones and roots, stacking sheaves, milking cows and all other farming challenges. During the long, cold winter months, Mom passionately dedicated her time crocheting, quilting, knitting and sewing. In the summer of 1983, Bill and Lena purchased a home on Deerwood Crescent in Yorkton. Mom loved planting a bountiful garden, preserving and canning her fruits and vegetables. She prided herself in growing the largest tomatoes ever. We always looked very forward to Mom’s baking and delicious cooking talents. Her homemade cinnamon buns, bread, tiny cabbage rolls, perogies, pies and pastries were delicacies we all savoured. After Dad’s passing in 1999, Mom continued to maintain their home on Deerwood Crescent until the fall of 2008 when she very reluctantly accepted the stark reality of selling the home and locating to a very comfortable and cozy suite at Clements Court. As her mobility began to deteriorate, she embraced the idea of moving a block over into the Gladstone Seniors Centre and subsequently, to St. Paul Lutheran Home in Melville for her last four years. Despite all those changes and moves, Mom remained strong, always maintaining a positive attitude. To quote Mom, she always reiterated these words – “Don’t complain, things can always be worse”. Perhaps, the greatest attribute Mom had was that she was always concerned about the welfare of every member of our family. She was definitely the matriarch of our family. Mom was blessed with four granddaughters and four great grandchildren. She loved them dearly, looked very forward to their visits and phone calls and was always keenly interested in their lives, activities and achievements. Her Ukrainian Catholic faith was very precious to her and her rosary was always close at hand ready to be recited. Lena and Bill were faithful members of the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church in the Hubbard area, Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ituna, and St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yorkton. When Mom became a resident at St. Paul Lutheran Home in Melville, she was blessed to have Frs. Bohdan Lukie, Ray Lukie and Basil Malowany visit her with annointing and communion. She treasured those visits and looked very forward to them. Lena entered eternal rest with our Lord on September 26, 2020. Lena was predeceased by her parents Tom and Annie; her husband Bill in 1999; brothers John (Ann), Peter (Stella) and Alex (Marjorie); sisters Mary (Joe), Ann (Nick), Sophie (Onufrey) and Alice (Bill). She will be lovingly remembered by her son Ed (Alice), their children, Laura (Gordon) Daines and great grandchildren Lucas and Zachary Daines and Celeste Evancio; daughter Vicki (Terry) Chaikowsky and their children Renae (Darrin) Sharp and great grandchildren Emma and Noah Sharp and Corinne (Ryan) Palka; her sister Jean Yuristy and numerous nieces and nephews. ~Eternal Memory ~