Lily Birarda

Born in 1925 in Bellis, Alberta, Lily is lovingly remembered by her husband N.J. “Rick” Birarda, sons Richard (Deb), David (Devon) and Gary (Rose), and by the extended family that she loved and nurtured, including her brothers, sister, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. We have all been inspired by Lily’s strength, love of family, resourcefulness and generosity throughout her well-lived life. In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation be made to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada at www.alzheimer.ca

A funeral mass will be held on December 31, 2014. The family will convene later to place her ashes at Forest Lawn Cemetery and to remember many good times shared with Lily.

Lily was born Pearl Lily Nykolaychuk in 1925 in the town of Bellis in northern Alberta into a Ukrainian farm family. She was one of 10 children, with 2 sisters and 7 brothers. Lily was in the middle of the group, the 6th eldest child. Lily’s mother and father were very enterprising examples to the children, comfortably sustaining their large family on the farm through challenging times in the 1930s.

Lily was very much like her mom, Dora, a very strong, capable, resourceful, and generous woman. This clearly shaped the admirable character, values and love that Lily has shown to her family and her community throughout her life.

Lily grew up on the family farm, and later left Bellis to attend secretarial/finishing school at Alberta College in Edmonton. During the Second World War, Lily moved to Ontario to help the war effort by working in a munitions plant…. an original “Bomb Girl”.

At the end of the war Lily moved back to Edmonton, and in the fall of 1945, at a dance at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Edmonton, she met Rick Birarda, a handsome young aircraft technician.

Lily and Rick were married in June of 1946, and so began Lily’s life as a military wife. Military families are migratory, so Lily gave birth to and raised her family of three boys across the country and around the world, making home for the family variously in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Germany and Ottawa. The frequent moving was difficult, but each move included a warm welcome into self-contained military communities that included new friends and great social and recreational facilities.

The five years living in Europe was a big adventure with a young family, getting to know some European relatives and the region’s history, and camping around western Europe while touring by car. During the over 25 years in Ottawa, Lily worked full time for the Department of National Defence while maintaining an organized and loving home. She was a marvellous cook and baker, perfecting not only traditional Ukrainian and Italian meals but also other styles that she was never afraid to experiment with.

While military life brought plenty of hard work, Lily and Rick always attracted many friends and found social occasions for partying and dancing. They were magical together on a dance floor, as recently as early 2014 when Lily was still mobile and not using a wheelchair.

After living for many years in Ottawa and seeing their three boys off to university and new careers, Lily and Rick eventually retired and settled in Delta BC in 1989. In retirement, family remained important to Lily, and she has often visited and sometimes cruised with their extended family that now includes:

Sons Richard (Deb), David (Devon) and Gary (Rose)

Grandsons Mark, Jason, Matthew (Vanessa) and Stephen

Granddaughter Jennifer (Eric)

Great-grandsons Madden and Porter