Anna Komar

Obituary

It is with great sadness that we wish to inform you that our mother Anna Komar, neé Pidlasheckyj passed away on Sunday evening July 16th in the Palliative Care Unit at St. Michael's Hospital. She leaves behind her two grieving children, Dr. Luba Komar and Marko Komar, her sisters Genia Chopiwsky and Halyna Grozdev and their families ( Phoenix, Arizona) and her nephews Roman, George, Andrij and Nestor Komar and their families ( Niagara region) as well as family in Ukraine, Canada, USA and Australia. Anna was born on June 2 1929 in the village of Nahuyevichi, Lvivska Oblast, Ukraine. She left Ukraine at the tender age of 12 with only her father. She spent the World War 2 years in Hanover, Germany. In 1948 at the age of 18 she immigrated alone to Canada and worked on contract for 1 year in St Jean sur Richelieu. She then joined fellow villagers in the city of Montreal. She left Montreal for Toronto where she met Markian Komar, her husband whom she married on Oct 2, 1954. She was a daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, dressmaker extraordinaire, homemaker, chef, baker, and the "original urban organic farmer". The phrase she was most known for was "just keep going". She suffered from diabetes and myelodysplasia and for the last 2 years of her life was almost completely blind because of acute macular degeneration. Her last month was a real battle and she very much appreciated the gift of blood transfused into her due to the kindness of strangers. She was a very strong woman of deep faith which helped her immensely with her battle. In this she was aided by supportive clergy of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, especially her husband's cousin, Father Ivan Dyriv, as well as her dentist-priest, Father Yaroslav Shudrak and her parish priest Father Volodymyr Yanishevsky all of whom visited her in hospital, as well as a "spiritual IV" a special icon of St Anne written by her godson Nestor Komar which was mounted on a ceiling IV pole in hospital so it was close enough that she could look at it and be comforted by it. She was also aided by the strong support for her, her children and her sister by Dr Lisa Hicks ( Hematologist), Dr Mary-Frances Scully Nguyen ( Hematologist), Dr Nayeema Siddiq (Family MD) , and family friend Anya Cholkan. Friends may call on Thursday July 20, 2017 from 6 - 9 p.m. at Cardinal Funeral Home, 92 Annette Street, with Panachyda to take place at 7:30 p.m. Mass of Christian burial and Parastas to take place on Friday July 21, 2017 at 10 a.m. at St. Josphat's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, 143 Franklin Avenue, at Dupont and Symington. Interment to follow at St. Volodymyr Cemetery, 1280 Dundas Street West, in Oakville. In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Anna Komar can be made to St Josaphat's Cathedral with specification for visitation of the sick, donations of blood made to Red Cross Blood Services or donations made to the St Michael's Hospital Foundation for the Hematology Medical Daycare Unit for a chemo-hood to expedite chemotherapy treatment for patients ( 416-864-5000 or online at www.stmichaelsfoundation.com). 

May she find the Canadian soil light and may her memory be eternal.

Vichnaya pamyat.

Visitation

Service

Burial