Mrs. Betty Czernicki

Betty was predeceased by her loving husband John (September 12, 1992).

Betty is lovingly remembered by her three children and their families: daughters Marlene (Bob), Linda (Werner) and son Ken. Grandchildren: Cindy (Peter) and Jeff (Amy) and her great grandchildren: Avery, Ashton, Axel, and Nathan.

Betty was born in Retkozberencs, Hungary on January 10, 1925. At age 4, Betty and her parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Simon, along with her young brother Andrew, immigrated to Canada. The family settled on a farm near the village of Otthon, Saskatchewan. The village of Otthon was founded by Hungarian settlers in 1894. The name Otthon is the word for home in the Hungarian language.

The Simon family struggled during the Great Depression but managed to survive and provide a good life for their children. Mom would always tell stories about how the family fed the unemployed men riding the rail cars near the farm. Betty inherited her love of animals from her father who became somewhat of a local vet and helped other farmers with their livestock.

The family grew to include a sister Anne and a younger a brother Joe. Betty was always an ambitious person and after finishing school, left the farm to become a legal secretary for a lawyer in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. Betty and her future husband John first met when he attended a meeting with the lawyer to discuss farming business. It was a successful meeting as John and Betty married on July 7, 1945. In 1947 after the birth of their first child, Marlene, the family purchased a farm near Brunkild, Manitoba but lived in Winnipeg. Betty continued working and started a job as a receptionist in the furniture department at The Bay in downtown Winnipeg. Mom loved working but balanced that with time on the farm and raising three children. Betty worked for over thirty years at The Bay. She was well liked by her fellow co-workers and some of them became lifelong friends.

When customers called they were always greeted by a familiar voice that said: “Furniture on six, Betty speaking.” Mom continued to work at The Bay even after the passing of our father. It kept her busy and helped her get through the grief of losing her husband.

With the addition of two more children Linda and Ken, Mom continued working for The Bay, helping out on the farm and caring for three growing children. The family moved a few times in the city and eventually built their dream home in Lindenwoods. Family was important to our mother and she kept in touch with her siblings and their families even though they were scattered across Canada. Betty also liked to travel and enjoyed visiting Seattle, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Mexico, Scotland and a trip back to her birthplace Hungary. Mom especially liked making her yearly fall trip to Edmonton to visit her two grandchildren. She baked and cooked a few days prior to her trip. The trip would not be complete unless she brought KUB rye bread and garlic sausage for the family. The family always looked forward to these visits from their loving grandmother.

In later years Mom enjoyed taking bus trips to the states with some of her friends. Betty attended church and was a proud member of the Roman Catholic Church where she liked to sing at the Sunday services. Betty enjoyed singing and later in life, when she was in care, Betty attended the many group singing activities.

Our mother was a great cook and liked inviting family members over to her house to sample her delicious perogies. Betty always cooked holiday dinners and enjoyed the company of her family on these occasions. Gardening was also a labor of love for our mother. Every year she and our dad planted a huge vegetable garden at the farm. Their bountiful harvests were always shared with her neighbors. After our father passed away Betty continued to drive to the farm to plant her garden.

Betty was diagnosed with dementia later in life and moved to the Rosewood Retirement Centre where she enjoyed participating in group activities. Four years later she moved to the Riverview Health Center and lived there until her passing.

Mom was a kind, caring and generous soul. Her children will be forever grateful to have been blessed with such a wonderful mother.

A private family service will be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Riverview Health Center for their care and compassion.

Donations in Betty’s name can be made to Darcy’s Arc Animal Rescue or the Riverview Health Center. Donations would be greatly appreciated by the family.