Mary Zahacy passed away peacefully on July 26, 2011 at the age of 94 years. Mary, is survived by her husband of 74 years, Peter; by her three children: Joe (Louise) Zahacy ; Elsie Ducsharme; Helen (Barry Goldberg) Bur- ge; and by ten grandchildren and thirteen great- grandchildren. Mary was predeceased by her son Willie in 1961 ; and by brothers Joe Korol and Nick Olanski and baby sister Tilly Olanski.

Mary was the first child of Katherine and John Korol, was born in Sylvan, Manitoba on November 12, 1916. In 1918, when Mary was two-years old and her brother Joe was two-months of age, her father John passed away. Mary’s mother remarried Mike Olanski, a widower who had two boys, Walter and Frank, and one girl, Nellie, and who together had two children: Nick and Tilly.

In 1929, when Mary was thirteen-years old, the Olanski family moved from Manitoba to the Prairie Echo region of the Peace Country of Northern Alberta. Shortly after moving to the region, on her way to play a game of baseball, Mary first met Peter Zahacy at a neighbour’s place where Peter was playing the fiddle. Mary said that she knew that Pete was the man for her when she first saw him: it was love at first sight. Peter courted Mary through several years, during which Pete would often bring Mary bouquets of her favourite flower: pansy’s. As a young girl, Mary was a talented cook, could sew and was fluent in Ukrainian, Polish and English. These skills helped Mary as she worked for local families, cooking and taking care of their children and their homes.

On November 20, 1936 at the age of 20, which was considered to be an older age to be married at the time, Pete and Mary were married in High Prairie. They lived with Pete’s parents on the land that Pete’s Grandfather had acquired in 1928.

On June 20, 1938, their first baby was born: Joseph James. A year and a half later, on September 26, 1939, a second boy, Willie Richard, was born. Mary would often say that this was planned since the oldest boy Joe would be needed to help-out on the farm and the second boy, Willie, would be a good play-mate for Joe. Mary wanted a daughter, so a year and a half later, on March 19, 1941, they had a baby girl: Elsie Clara. Mary would say that Elsie would also need a sister for a playmate and therefore they would have another girl, so on October 25, 1942, a year and a half after the birth of Elsie, their fourth child was born: Helen Lily.

When Pete and Mary took over the farm land there were debts to be paid, including bills for a new tractor. To make extra money, Pete would work as a thrasher in the fall and trap in the winter, often leaving Mary for weeks at a time. The money was used to pay-off the tractor and to eventually buy a breaking plow and a threshing machine.

When Pete was working around the region, on the farm thrashing for neighbours or operating their saw mill, Pete often had five to six men working for him. Mary would cook and bake for the crew of men. Mary and the children milked cows, sold cream, and did the chores on the farm. Over the years they raised cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, geese, chickens and ducks. In addition to the farm work and raising a family, Mary was busy with cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry and gardening. She sewed and mended clothes, knitted and crocheted mitts, socks, scarfs, tuques and sweaters. In the summer and fall she would pick and can fruits and vegetables, make sauerkraut, pickle cabbage, and make saskatoon, raspberry and strawberry jams and jellies to last through to the next year.

As a cook and homemaker, Mary was a legend: her perogies and cabbage rolls set a standard hard to compete with. She was able to hand-down her skills to the next generations, but was always reminded that hers were the originals and the best.

Mary’s and Pete’s was always a welcoming place for family, neighbours and friends. Many of the cousins, including the Kosar, Korol and Olanski kids, spent a lot of time at Mary’s and Pete’s house. There was always plenty of food, laughter, and music.

Mary Zahacy was a role model for all of us close to her. She was an incredibly strong, hard- working prairie farm woman with endless optimism, compassion and love. The relationship between her and Peter, to whom she will always be his “Honey”, was an example of perfection to all of us. We will all try our best to follow her lead.

We love you and will miss you.

Mary was laid to rest in St. Valdimir’s Cemetery.