Obituary of Anastazia Margaret O'Donovan

Anastazia Margaret O'Donavan, a long-time resident of Dawson Creek, B.C. passed away on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 in Dawson Creek, at the age of 92 years. Anastazia was the second child born to George and Maria Strasky, in Koeca, Czechoslovakia, on November 16, 1922. She carried fond memories of her childhood days in their homeland and often recounted happy stories. With the great depression looming, George Sr. emigrated to Canada in1927, searching for a better future for his family. Once he had secured a homestead in Farmington, B.C.; Maria, Ann, Anastazia, and Ludmilla made the arduous journey across the Atlantic Ocean to Pier 21, Nova Scotia, and then by train to Dawson Creek, arriving on February 14, 1931. Over the following nine years, George Jr., Bill, Fred, Helen, and Victor were born, completing the family tree. They all worked very hard to establish a successful mixed farming operation, where they were valued neighbors amongst the other early pioneers who established a thriving community. When Anastazia reached the age to be confirmed in the Catholic faith, she was given the choice of selecting a saint for her name and that is how she became known as Margaret. She attended Parkland School, in addition to spending long hours helping with the outside farm work, in the garden, and in the household kitchen. As an energetic and fun-loving young woman, the reprieve from farm work, provided at community picnics and dances, was something to which she very much looked forward. Maggie, as she was referred to by her siblings, loved dancing and was good at it. She also had a particular fondness for a wide variety of music. Her first friend at Parkland was Julia (Chmielewski) Johnson, and their comradery remained steadfast until Julia's passing in April of 2014. Margaret married Albert Fontaine in 1942. They were the very first proprietors/operators of the Farmington General Store and post office, which was jointly constructed by George Strasky Sr. and Ernest Fontaine (Albert's father). This was Margaret's and Albert's livelihood until shortly after the arrival of their first child, Eileen, in 1944. Within a span of six years, their family expanded to include the births of Lorraine, Bob, and Wayne. Alas, Albert was not a man of commitment and left the family in 1952. Margaret was devastated but very resourceful, and continued to provide for her children as best she could. She sewed their clothing as well as her own, grew a large vegetable garden, did her own baking, and took on domestic work outside of the home. Of course, she was very grateful when one or all of her younger brothers would show up at her doorway with a freshly butchered chicken, a dozen or so eggs, or perhaps some cured meat from the farm. Long-time neighbors, Sophie Prince and Wilma Eckert provided moral support and helped as much as possible, and remained constant friends even after moving from Dawson Creek. Tim O'Donovan entered the life of Margaret and her four children in 1956. He was undaunted by the responsibility of taking on this new family and within a few years, their son Terry was born to add to the fun and excitement. In the early years, Tim worked as a camp cook, so when time permitted, the family would travel to the various locations at which he was stationed, enjoying picnics, fishing, and becoming generally acquainted with the vicinity. They also undertook a few family road trips to Montana, to visit Margaret's sister Ann and her family. Margaret was a fabulous cook and baker, and she and Tim hosted many family dinners that were enjoyed by all. Tim was an incessant tease who enjoyed seeing if he could get a rise out of her; he was generally successful! The two of them, along with Terry, made regular trips to Edmonton to visit Lorraine, and her children Gary & Jacqueline, and eagerly awaited their reciprocal visits back home. They also went to Montreal for the 1967 World Exposition. In the early spring of 1973, Tim and Margaret toured England and Ireland with Don and Mona Kidd. Tim was diagnosed with cancer in 1978 and passed away on March 25, 1979, leaving a big void in Margaret's life. When Eileen, Guy, Dwayne & Shellie moved to Chilliwack, in January of 1980, Margaret looked forward to a reprieve from her loneliness and enjoyed lengthy, pleasant stays with them. After many years of earning a living with private housekeeping and janitorial tasks, Margaret procured employment at the Dawson Creek Hospital and then the old Rotary Manor. A back injury she sustained in 1980 ended her extensive years of physically demanding work. However, she was never idle and filled her days with crocheting afghans and pillows, hooking pictures and rugs, and fine embroidery. As an active member of the Catholic Church and Catholic Women's League, her carrot cakes and lemon loaves were a big hit at each annual bazaar. She enjoyed time spent with her friends or family members, chatting over a cup of coffee or tea. Her flower and vegetable gardens, and fruit trees flourished under constant attention. There was always a robust supply of vegetables in her freezer along with jams, jellies and other preserves in her pantry. Included in her trips to the lower mainland, were visits to Texeda Island where Bob, Kathy, Jesse, Russell and Ginger-Lee Fontaine resided. These visits were a highlight in her life. Her grandchildren who lived in Dawson Creek, Jeremiah, Cherissa, & Joshua Fontaine and Tatiana, Kathleen, and Chantelle O'Donovan, often spent time at Granny's house helping her bake pies, cinnamon buns, and plum dumplings or watching her favourite afternoon soap operas! She took great pride in the accomplishments of her grandchildren and was always interested to know what was going on in their lives. She was delighted when Dwayne stayed with her the summer after his graduation, as did Jesse a few years later. She looked forward to Bob's annual hunting trips up here and to visits that he and his family made from the island. Between 1990 and 2013, sixteen great-grandchildren were born into the family! How proud Margaret was with each new arrival. Lorraine moved back to Dawson Creek in 1991 and was a welcome source of cheerfulness and help to her Mom, as they bridged the time and distance that previously separated them. Later that year, Gary also moved back to Dawson Creek and he was ever attentive to his Grandma; he could easily elicit a good chuckle from her with his quick wit and lighthearted banter. Margaret sold her house in 2000 and moved to Spruceland Manor where she was able to experience a more relaxed lifestyle. She met new friends and engaged in regular card games and tile rummy tournaments. She relished the companionship of her siblings, and their respective spouses, and looked forward to family gatherings or reunions at Parkland Hall or Matthew's Park which kept her in touch with her nieces and nephews and their growing families. She now had the flexibility to travel more and enjoyed excursions to Alaska, Hawaii, Florida and California; often in the company of her sister Ann, and other long-time friends Rhoda Dunsmore, Shirley Beatty, and Helen Bumstead. After spending 10 years in her apartment, health issues resulted in memory loss that caused safety concerns for her family. Following a seven-month hospital stay, Margaret was relocated to the Peace Haven Care facility in Pouce Coupe in 2011. She initially resisted the move, amidst many tears and much heartache. However, once settled she came to appreciate the slower pace and diminished responsibilities. Visitors frequently found her sitting in her comfy chair by the window, basking in the sunshine while reading a book or magazine. When the facility closed in 2012, she moved to Rotary Manor. Lorraine devoted much of her time to ensuring that Margaret was comfortable and had a good supply of her favorite fruits and snacks on hand. She often took her Mom home with her so that she could sit and delight in the lovely yard or have the little dogs sit in her lap. The family is very grateful for such devotion, Lorraine. Of course, the rest of the children, other family members and friends from far and wide were frequent visitors to the care facilities as well. Eileen phoned on a regular basis, and she and Guy drove up at least once a year. Margaret had a particular fondness for her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and her face lit up whenever they entered her room. She loved the large cork board on her wall that was covered with an array of family photos. Margaret was predeceased by her parents George & Maria Strasky, her husband Tim O'Donovan, her sisters and brothers-in-law Ludy &Vern Motzer and Ann & Harold Nitzel, brother Victor Strasky, and brother and sister-in-law Bill & Etella (Magusin) Strasky, nephew Brian Strasky, niece Lorna Strasky Dettling, and great-grandson Kingston Fontaine-Carto. We trust that she is reunited with them in a place where there is no more pain and suffering. Margaret is survived by her brothers George Strasky Jr., and Fred (Dorothy) Strasky, her sister Helen (Joe) Breti, and sister-in-law Florie Strasky; her children Eileen (Guy) Jensen, Lorraine (Mike) Malin, Bob (Kathy) Fontaine, Wayne (Linda) Fontaine, and Terry (Sandra) O'Donovan, her grandchildren: Gary (Kim) Peterson, Jacqueline (Eric) Trumble, Dwayne (Linda) Jensen, Shellie (Al) Steidle, Jesse (Jen) Fontaine, Russell Fontaine, Ginger-Lee (Sean) Fontaine-Carto, Jeremiah (Rachel) Fontaine, Cherissa (Wayne) McNeil, Josh (Alicia) Fontaine, Tatiana (Keith) Brown, Kathleen (Gerad) Smithard, and Chantelle O'Donovan, along with sixteen great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 11:00 am at the Notre Dame Catholic Church. Father Louis Kwena officiated. Interment followed in the Dawson Creek City Cemetery. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Anastazia to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon, 1480-7th Avenue, Prince George, B.C. V2L 3P2. Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 am Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Notre Dame Catholic Church 908 104 Avenue Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada