Obituary

With much sadness we mourn the passing of Mary Helen Holash on March 16, 2021 at the age of 92 years. Mary is survived by her children Mary-Jo Romaniuk, Joseph Holash and Jocelyn Holash (Charles Doyle) as well as her grandchildren Lauren, Joseph, Paul, Max, Ryan and Helen. She is also survived by her sister Betty Lundgard (Donald).  She is predeceased by her beloved husband Joseph, as well as her parents, Joseph and Helen Ziobro, and her sisters Vicky Meyer (Alvin), Kay Richter (Joe), Annie Michalko (Ed), and her brothers Edward Ziobro (Sophie) and John Ziobro. Mary was born on October 19, 1928 in Poland, and she immigrated to Canada as an infant with her parents Joseph and Helen Ziobro. She grew up in the Weslock, AB area, the eldest of 7 children. Upon graduating from high school, Mary moved to Edmonton where she became a registered nurse at Edmonton General Hospital. After additional training in Montreal and Toronto, Mary moved to Regina where she was the head nurse of the operating room at the Grey Nuns hospital. While in Regina, Mary met her husband, Joseph Holash, and they were married in 1959. After the birth of her children, Mary gave up nursing to raise her family. Over her years in Regina, Mary was an active member of the St. Martin’s parish community and Catholic Women’s League. While her children were growing up, she contributed countless hours of volunteer help to her church, the Marian Centre and Meals on Wheels. After the passing of her husband, Mary returned to school to complete the Catholic Spiritual Care Program and for several years thereafter provided pastoral care to patients in Regina’s hospitals and care homes while continuing with her other volunteer activities. In 2010, Mary was conferred a Papal Honour and was awarded the Benemerenti Medal. This honour is given to those who have exhibited long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church, their families and community, a fitting honour for Mary who demonstrated exceptional commitment to each of these. Mary loved to travel.  She and her husband traveled extensively in Canada and made many trips to California to visit relatives always including a fun stop in Las Vegas along the way.  She also had a number of adventures including bus trips with friends to the midwestern and southern United States as well as cruises to the Panama Canal and the Mediterranean. Perhaps the culmination of her travels was a pilgrimage to Israel and the Holy Land. Mary was also a devoted grandmother who loved to spend time with her grandchildren. They are left with many fond memories including trips to Duck Mountain, feeding the geese at Wascana Lake, helping her with her garden, fishing, playing mini-golf and going to the waterslides. Mary also often had them help with her volunteer activities, instilling in them the importance of community service and providing support to those in need. In 2014 Mary moved to Kelowna, BC where she made many new friends and enjoyed her retirement playing bridge and spending time with her grandchildren. As Mary’s health began to decline, she moved into Haven Hills Retirement home in Penticton, BC where she received excellent care in her final years. Services will be held for Mary this summer at St. Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church in Regina. In lieu of flowers, donations to one of the charities which Mary supported, World Vision Canada (https://donate.worldvision.ca/products/memory#), the Arthritis Society (https://arthritis.ca) or the Regina Humane Society (https://reginahumanesociety.ca), would be greatly appreciated.