Jean Yaremko

With sadness and broken hearts, we share the passing of our beloved Wife, Mom and Baba, Jean. She leaves behind her loving husband of 68 years, Tony, her children Cheryl (Kevin) and Dale (Erika) and her grandchildren Joshua, Jack, Nathan, Amy and Zachary. Jean is the youngest and last survivor of her brothers John, George, Bill, Mike, and sisters, Mary, Polly, Lena and Anne and her parents Nick and Annie Heshka. She also had many beloved nieces and nephews.

Jean was born in rural Saskatchewan, daughter of Ukrainian immigrants and youngest of 9 children. She grew up on a farm and enjoyed helping her older brothers with their farm chores. Jean attended teacher’s college and was a rural school teacher for many years, often teaching many grades at once. In 1966, Tony and Jean moved to British Columbia, and soon thereafter settled in Burnaby.

Her true love, outside of her family, was sports. You name it, she watched it. In her younger years, softball was her passion and she excelled at it. She and her sister, Anne, were known across Saskatchewan for their softball prowess. In 1989, Jean was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in Saskatoon, SK along with her softball teammates. Later in life, golf became her new passion. She played with the ladies golf clubs at Fraserview and Swan-e-set, which transitioned into playing bridge in the winter months. She made some of the best friends of her life there and continued to play golf well into her eighties.

Jean was very involved with her church and upholding her Ukrainian culture. She was part of the church Sisterhood, served on the church executive and volunteered countless hours.

After retirement, Tony and Jean loved to cruise and travelled most of the world together. They also made countless golf trips with their golfing friends and family.

Jean loved to cook and shared this love with her children and grandchildren. Her pyrohy, natchynka, cabbage rolls, pickles and baking skills will live on with them. When not in the kitchen, you could find Jean tending to her very large vegetable garden, often growing enough food for the entire family and her neighbours.

Jean was a tough lady with a cheeky sense of humour and often had a twinkle in her eye. She was also kind and generous, always willing to go out of her way to help anyone in need. She will be missed by all those who knew and loved her.

Thank you to the doctors and nurses at Burnaby Hospital who vigilantly took care of her in her final days. A special thank you to the caring staff in ward 3A.

For guests who are not able to attend in-person, we hope you may join us via livestream. https://youtube.com/@ukrainianchurch?si=5wcj5aceqlVw71Ir or https://uocvancouver.com