Clara Theresa Werner

Clara was a truly kind soul who made her way quietly through life, helping others

wherever she could, in a selfless and nurturing way, most often expecting nothing in

return. She was a nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Vancouver for over 40 years, the

latter part of her career caring for geriatric patients, giving them comfort in their final

months of life. Just before 11am on Wednesday, April 3rd, with her eldest son, Robert,

at her side, she was able to let go and free herself from the bonds of the elderly body

that had been rapidly degrading over the past few years. Living as long as she did, she

exceeded the statistical odds but, as the kind nurses at Vancouver General Hospital

(VGH) mentioned, she was very sick and her quality of life was no longer there.

Clara arrived into this world in rural Bruno, Saskatchewan, the youngest of two

daughters, born to a Ukrainian immigrant mother and a Polish immigrant father. Two

years later, her father abandoned them and her young mom was left with two young

girls, 4 & 2 years old respectively. Unable to cope with this burden, her mother had a

nervous breakdown and gave up the girls for adoption. Her mom spent the rest of her

life in a psychiatric hospital in North Battlefield, suffering from deep depression. As

was the practice back then & there, a Catholic nun drove around the rural countryside,

looking for families to adopt the girls. The eldest daughter, Mary, ended up in Prince

Albert, whereas Clara was adopted by the Politeski family on their farm, just outside of

tiny Lake Lenore.

Given the less than fortunate cards she was initially dealt in life, Clara hit the proverbial

jackpot in terms of the family she ended up in. The Politeski family were loving, caring,

and incredibly protective of their new little baby girl. With multiple older brothers, one

[surviving] sister, and their mother, Elizabeth, they lived a simple but joyous life on the

fertile soil of rural Canada. From oldest to youngest, these were the Politeski children:

• Loreena

• Florian

• John

• Theresa (died very young)

• Pete

• Clem

• Martin (1920)

• Hector (1924)

• Clara Theresa (her middle name came from her older sister)

The Great Depression was ongoing but Clara was always well fed, and was responsible

for her share of chores, just like all of her older siblings before her. She was a part of

the Politeski family like any other. This sense of responsibility and work ethic, instilled

in her at an early age, manifested itself throughout her life.

Along with her immediate older brother, Hector, 8 years her senior, she used to ride a

horse into town to attend school. She always spoke of her childhood with great

affection, though there were apparently some nasty chickens that caused her much

distress!

After high school, she moved about 90 minutes away to Tisdale, Saskatchewan to

attend nursing school. Two years later she graduated and then took the train out west

to Vancouver, where her brothers, Hector and Martin, were already living. Back then, in

the early 1950’s, Canada’s major West Coast city was a single person’s mecca, with so

much to do and so many newcomers from all over the country. Throughout her life,

she was famous for saying, “Once I saw those mountains, I knew I would never go

back.”

She soon started working as a nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital and really embraced the

West Coast lifestyle, engaging in many activities with her brothers and their friends,

and making her own friends as well. She used to go over to a seaside lodge on

Vancouver Island, go skiing at Mt. Baker in Washington (Whistler hadn’t opened yet),

and engage in a plethora of other activities around Vancouver.

On May 4, 1961, she married Paul Werner, a German immigrant, who had

coincidentally arrived in Vancouver about the same time a decade before. She put her

nursing career on hold to have Robert in September 1964 and Doug in June 1967. In

1969, Paul took his beautiful bride back to Germany to show her off to the relatives.

Robert & Doug were well taken care of for those few weeks by an older English nanny

named Hammings.

As the new decade of the 70’s began, hard times befell the family and Clara had to

return to nursing in 1971 to help make ends meet. Best they could though, Paul &

Clara never let their sons suffer. Things generally started improving after that. Both

parents provided a steady hand with Robert’s education at Edith Cavell Annex and

Cecil Rhodes elementary schools and then Eric Hamber high school. Doug chose a

more circuitous route throughout his childhood but they did their best to navigate that.

Robert completed UBC Engineering, graduated, and left home for Northern Manitoba

in mid-1987. Throughout all of this, Clara kept working at St. Vincent’s.

In 1994, she finally retired from nursing but immediately embraced a series of volunteer

activities including Tourism Vancouver, the Vancouver Ladies Club, and a host of

others. She also joined her brother, Hector, who was a tour guide at this point, on a

number of his bus tours around North America.

In 1996, Clara & Paul split up, and she moved out on her own, eventually settling into

her own apartment on West 10th near Granville Street. These first few years of this

new chapter, having to handle everything on her own for the first time in many

decades, Clara suffered from several episodes of depression, likely genetically

inherited from her biological mother. But, through the help of dedicated medical

professionals at VGH and loved ones all around her, she overcame each battle and

persisted forward.

In March 2002, she moved to the 9th floor in an apartment tower near 14th & Burrard,

where she enjoyed the most magnificent view of the city that one could possibly

imagine. Here she spent the next 22 years of her life, with Robert close by between

2004 & 2013, and then visiting from the U.S., where he had moved to in 2014.

In June 2017, her caregiver, Lianne, came into Clara’s life. What started out as “a job”

at first quickly blossomed into a wonderful friendship. Lianne has been her closest

companion ever since. They regularly traveled around Vancouver together and also

made it down to San Francisco to see Robert and to the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament

in New York City on their own. Without a doubt, Lianne extended Clara’s life by several

years!

For Robert, there could be no more perfect a mom than Clara. While he had his own

challenges with his career and financial situation, he always tried to be a supportive,

loving son, even at a distance. Covid threw a cruel impediment between them seeing

each other but that was eventually overcome too. Her daily diary showed that his calls,

emails, cards, & photos provided a recurring reminder to her that she was not alone,

was a big part of his life, and would not face the same fate her biological mother did.

Thankfully, she was able to hold on for Robert to rush back to Vancouver and be with

her, holding her hand, on her last night and last morning of her long life.

In the aftermath of her passing, Robert and Lianne are going through her belongings,

packing up everything and cleaning up her apartment. They’re encountering a lifetime

of memories of a life well lived. She was a copious note taker. She has left her son a

detailed daily diary, between September 29, 2022 and March 30, 2024. It includes

comments on how she slept the night before, how she was feeling that day,

conversations & correspondence she had, and a whole lot of other things. Even after

her passing, she has provided her son with such an unexpected, beautiful treasure!

On a very personal note, Robert would like to share with you that he is dealing with a

significant amount of guilt: Should he have left Vancouver in 2014? Should he have

visited more often? Why didn’t he pay more attention to Lianne’s admonitions about

his mom’s declining health? The list of questions is endless. A number of mothers

have chimed in about these questions and their wisdom may be valuable to others.

The general consensus is that most every mother wants to raise their children to be

independent adults who achieve the best they can in life. In our modern world, this

often means these children will move away, grow their own families, build their own

lives, etc. But never forget to realize that your parents will not last forever. Try to not

delay that “next” trip to see them because they very well may not be there when you

want to see them.

The reality is that none of us live forever. Given the less than perfect set of cards life

dealt Clara initially, she was blessed to have been adopted into the incredible family

she was. She worked hard and strived to be the best mother, wife, nurse, and friend

she could possibly be. She set an exemplary example of an exceptionally kind and

selfless human being who always tried to give to others more than she ever received.

She touched the lives of many and will forever be missed. Please keep her in your

thoughts and say a prayer for her once in a while. Rest in Peace, Clara.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MountPleasantFuneral.com for the Werner family.