Mrs. Helen Olena Burych

Obituary

Helen (Olena) Burych nee Mazur 05/30/1928 - 05/12/2020   Our beloved Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, friend and mentor was born on May 30, 1928 in Preluki, Poland and passed away in Toronto, Canada on May 12, 2020.  The journey between those two points is an interesting tale of courage, determination, loss, joy and resilience, but maybe not in that order. Helen was a survivor.  At the young age of 14 years she left home on her own during WWII and was forced into work as a domestic labourer in Germany.  After the war she travelled to England, became a factory worker, and met Teodor (Ted) Burych whom she married in 1950.  In 1952, Helen and Ted made the crossing from England to Canada and started their family: their first daughter Susan, followed by their son Walter (married to Marta) and several years later, Christine. Helen and Ted worked tirelessly both night and day at building their maintenance company, looking for the right real estate investment opportunities and raising a family. These challenges of life became significantly more difficult for Helen, and her family, when she starting battling an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Helen’s love for people was genuine and she never had an unkind word for anyone. She was stubborn, pleasantly willful and a healer. She loved to dance and discovered Bingo and singing when she moved to her final home at Westbury Long-Term Care Residence. Helen absolutely flourished at her new home with an abundance of activities and no cleaning to do. She made many friends and won an award for helping others in the home, a task which she performed with great joy and passion.  We wish to thank the many staff members who cared for her as their own family member. In her last weeks Helen fought hard against COVID-19 that claimed the lives of her friends before she completely ran out of energy, and this brave staff stood in for us and held her hand when we could not. Helen joins her husband of 57 years who died 12 years ago and paved the way for her new journey.  She leaves behind her three children, 7 grandchildren, Natalie Jurewich, Stephanie Munro, Andrew Burych, Michael Burych, Alexandra Burych, Christopher Sharanewych and Adam Sharanewych, and 3 (+1 on the way), great grandchildren, Angelina and Victoria Munro, Zachary Burych, and unborn baby Burych. All of us will miss Helen terribly. She had a million dollar smile and loved to laugh.  She always had a kind word for all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren who will fondly remember their dancing Baba. A private funeral will be held on Friday May 15, 2020.  A Celebration of Helen’s life will be held at a later date (details to follow) at which time more of her story will unfold and everyone can share their anecdotes about this remarkable woman. Please, no flowers. Although Helen loved flowers, she would much rather spend money on others than herself.  She would be so happy if you would support the following charitable causes in her name:

• “The Konvalia Project”, by donating on line at canadahelps.org or mailing your donation to 204-89 Queensway West, Mississauga, Ontario, L5B 2V2, or
• “Hats On For Awareness” by donating on line at http://hatsonforawareness.com.

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