Obituary for Elizabeth "Betty" Koslowsky (Falk)
In Loving Memory
Elizabeth (Betty) Koslowsky
March 26, 1926 to May 14, 2021
Elizabeth (Betty) Koslowsky, age 95, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2021 with family by her side. She was predeceased by her husband, Peter Koslowsky, her parents, David and Maria Falk (nee Krause), and her brothers David, Ben, Frank, and Bill as well as her sisters Anna Schellenberg, Helen Unruh, and Mary Penner. She is survived by her brother, Jake Falk, her children Ernie Koslowsky, Ron (Wally) Koslowsky, Ken (Margaret) Koslowsky, Bob (Donna) Koslowsky, Janet (Karl) Fast, Laurene (Reg) Siemens, and Jeff (Trish) Koslowsky, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mom was born March 26, 1926 in Arkadak, Ukraine the youngest child of the family. At the age of three and after the death of her father, the family emigrated to Canada where Mom spent her childhood on a farm outside Niverville, MB. It was here she met Peter Koslowsky and they were married Sep 15, 1946. Mom and Dad were blessed with seven children, five sons and two daughters. They raised their family, farmed, worshipped, and served their community around Niverville for many years before moving into Winnipeg in 1964. Once in Winnipeg, they added new friends and continued raising their family and farming until dad retired.
Dad passed away on October 13, 1996, shortly after celebrating 50 years together with mom. While he was deeply missed, mom courageously continued to live a full life. Traveling, attending events, participating in church activities, and hosting gatherings with family and her friends. Over time, the family increased to include forty grandchildren (with spouses) and forty-one great-grandchildren. She cared deeply for each one and demonstrated her love through prayers, cards and encouraging words. Faith, family, and friends were central to mom.
On May 12th, after not responding to phone calls, she was found alive but unresponsive at her home in Concordia Village and died peacefully May 14th at St Boniface Hospital with Laurie at her side.
That is the basic story of our mother, but we all know there is much more to this story. Let us provide you with a little more colour.
Mom shared a lot of love with others in her 95 years on this earth. She was a friend to the countless people she interacted with throughout her lifetime. Church friends, neighbours, even bowling competitors all could count on her as a supportive, caring friend.
To most people the image of our parents was that Dad was the well-known tenor soloist and businessperson while my mom was the supportive quiet, wife in the background without opinions and not involved in decision making. As children, we knew better. She was very supportive of dad and proud of his talent and accomplishments, but she was no pushover when it came to opinions and making decisions. While she may have been quiet, she was also strong, confident, and very much her own person.
Mom was generous. She and dad gave freely allowing family members to build memories by going on shared trips to Grand Forks, Fargo, Florida and even Hawaii, her favorite vacation destination. She loved going out to restaurants with family typically the beneficiary. She gave generously of her time too playing cards with grandchildren, listening to our weekly activities and spending time in daily prayer for the family. She also blessed us with surprise monetary gifts that often came just at the right time.
Mom was creative and loved all things beautiful. As a teenager, she enrolled in a sewing course and discovered her love for design and fashion. This soon turned into her making clothing for herself and the household. She loved to go to Eaton’s in Winnipeg to see the latest styles and fashion and then purchase material and design her own clothing. In addition to making dresses, blouses, pants and suits for herself and clothing for her children, she made linens, bedding, tea towels and even designed and sewed her own wedding dress. Dad knew mom loved all things beautiful and gave her striking pieces of jewelry which she combined with her fashion sense and was characteristically the best dressed lady in the room. Always elegant but never vain.
Mom was thrifty, keeping a large garden on the farm, picking and processing what seemed like endless truckloads of vegetables. She was an environmentalist well before that was popular, saving and reusing plastic bags or saving items “in case a use could be found for them”.
Mom was independent. When Dad went away on singing engagements, she kept the household together and had no problem administering discipline if needed. When Dad had his cardiac arrest and was not able to manage the finances, mom took over and readily managed them. She would insist on opening doors for herself, drove car until just a few years ago and was still walking two or three times a day.
Mom was hospitable. Their home was open to friends and family. All types of gatherings took place at the Koslowsky family home. Whether home cooked family dinners on Fridays, church showers in the basement at Eastwood, or coffee and dessert with friends, mom hosted them all. Her cooking and baking skills were well known and her beautiful fine china and silverware creating an inviting welcome for any guest. Later, family dinners grew with the addition of grandchildren and moved to Sundays. They began with an all-you-can-eat pizza smorgasbord and finished with trays of candies, gummies, and chocolates, plus the added bonus of leftover pizza to take home! Koslowsky Family dinners were outstanding!
Mom was a lifelong learner. She was a good student, excelling especially in spelling and problem solving. Due to the era she lived in, she was not able to go past grade eight as her family needed her to work on the farm. But the skills learned on the farm, like gardening, preserving, caring for chickens, etc. would serve her well into the future as she cared for their large family on the farm and helped dad start a successful chicken, hog, and animal feed business together with three other couples.
Mom combined her love of spelling and problem solving with her competitive nature and became a force to reckon with whether on a Scrabble board, at the kitchen table playing dominoes, on vacation playing Rook or at her computer playing FreeCell … and winning every time!! Even at 95, mom was up to date on current events such as U.S. politics and still learning new things including the use of e-mail and Zoom calls.
Mom was competitive and beyond the board and card games and bowling leagues, she loved sports! She was a faithful supporter of the Bombers and Blue Jays but especially of the Jets, though less so for refs whom she often disagreed with. As a young family on the farm, we grew up without a TV and a favourite memory was listening to Foster Hewitt and Hockey Night in Canada on the radio on a Saturday evening while eating mom’s delicious cinnamon rolls.
Mom loved her family. She was the glue that kept the family together and was always available to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She prayed for them regularly, loved them unconditionally and supported them in the paths they chose. Plainly stated – she showed up for us in all circumstances. One family member shared, “It seemed the older she got, the more love she had.” Mom loved spending time with her family and showered them with tangible expressions of her love. We celebrated her 95th birthday in late March on a Zoom call and she saw and heard most of her large extended family, even great-grandchildren, share memories and love.
Mom loved Jesus. She decided to follow Jesus as a teenager and was baptized in the Red River. The verse that spoke to her at that time was Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Mom continued to trust and serve Jesus throughout her life. She loved her Bible and her daily devotional and took time each day to pray for her family. She lived out her faith through her kindness, generosity, and love for God and for people.
Mom was not tall. Family members would joke with her that she would not die but would just disappear. In a way, she has disappeared. But her love, our memories of her, and her impact on us will not disappear or die. We do not grieve as those without hope but rejoice with confidence, knowing she has been welcomed into the arms of her Heavenly Father.
We love you Mom.
To view the video of the graveside service,
Select ”Photos and Videos”,
And “Watch Tribute Video”
Elizabeth (Betty) Koslowsky
March 26, 1926 to May 14, 2021
Elizabeth (Betty) Koslowsky, age 95, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2021 with family by her side. She was predeceased by her husband, Peter Koslowsky, her parents, David and Maria Falk (nee Krause), and her brothers David, Ben, Frank, and Bill as well as her sisters Anna Schellenberg, Helen Unruh, and Mary Penner. She is survived by her brother, Jake Falk, her children Ernie Koslowsky, Ron (Wally) Koslowsky, Ken (Margaret) Koslowsky, Bob (Donna) Koslowsky, Janet (Karl) Fast, Laurene (Reg) Siemens, and Jeff (Trish) Koslowsky, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mom was born March 26, 1926 in Arkadak, Ukraine the youngest child of the family. At the age of three and after the death of her father, the family emigrated to Canada where Mom spent her childhood on a farm outside Niverville, MB. It was here she met Peter Koslowsky and they were married Sep 15, 1946. Mom and Dad were blessed with seven children, five sons and two daughters. They raised their family, farmed, worshipped, and served their community around Niverville for many years before moving into Winnipeg in 1964. Once in Winnipeg, they added new friends and continued raising their family and farming until dad retired.
Dad passed away on October 13, 1996, shortly after celebrating 50 years together with mom. While he was deeply missed, mom courageously continued to live a full life. Traveling, attending events, participating in church activities, and hosting gatherings with family and her friends. Over time, the family increased to include forty grandchildren (with spouses) and forty-one great-grandchildren. She cared deeply for each one and demonstrated her love through prayers, cards and encouraging words. Faith, family, and friends were central to mom.
On May 12th, after not responding to phone calls, she was found alive but unresponsive at her home in Concordia Village and died peacefully May 14th at St Boniface Hospital with Laurie at her side.
That is the basic story of our mother, but we all know there is much more to this story. Let us provide you with a little more colour.
Mom shared a lot of love with others in her 95 years on this earth. She was a friend to the countless people she interacted with throughout her lifetime. Church friends, neighbours, even bowling competitors all could count on her as a supportive, caring friend.
To most people the image of our parents was that Dad was the well-known tenor soloist and businessperson while my mom was the supportive quiet, wife in the background without opinions and not involved in decision making. As children, we knew better. She was very supportive of dad and proud of his talent and accomplishments, but she was no pushover when it came to opinions and making decisions. While she may have been quiet, she was also strong, confident, and very much her own person.
Mom was generous. She and dad gave freely allowing family members to build memories by going on shared trips to Grand Forks, Fargo, Florida and even Hawaii, her favorite vacation destination. She loved going out to restaurants with family typically the beneficiary. She gave generously of her time too playing cards with grandchildren, listening to our weekly activities and spending time in daily prayer for the family. She also blessed us with surprise monetary gifts that often came just at the right time.
Mom was creative and loved all things beautiful. As a teenager, she enrolled in a sewing course and discovered her love for design and fashion. This soon turned into her making clothing for herself and the household. She loved to go to Eaton’s in Winnipeg to see the latest styles and fashion and then purchase material and design her own clothing. In addition to making dresses, blouses, pants and suits for herself and clothing for her children, she made linens, bedding, tea towels and even designed and sewed her own wedding dress. Dad knew mom loved all things beautiful and gave her striking pieces of jewelry which she combined with her fashion sense and was characteristically the best dressed lady in the room. Always elegant but never vain.
Mom was thrifty, keeping a large garden on the farm, picking and processing what seemed like endless truckloads of vegetables. She was an environmentalist well before that was popular, saving and reusing plastic bags or saving items “in case a use could be found for them”.
Mom was independent. When Dad went away on singing engagements, she kept the household together and had no problem administering discipline if needed. When Dad had his cardiac arrest and was not able to manage the finances, mom took over and readily managed them. She would insist on opening doors for herself, drove car until just a few years ago and was still walking two or three times a day.
Mom was hospitable. Their home was open to friends and family. All types of gatherings took place at the Koslowsky family home. Whether home cooked family dinners on Fridays, church showers in the basement at Eastwood, or coffee and dessert with friends, mom hosted them all. Her cooking and baking skills were well known and her beautiful fine china and silverware creating an inviting welcome for any guest. Later, family dinners grew with the addition of grandchildren and moved to Sundays. They began with an all-you-can-eat pizza smorgasbord and finished with trays of candies, gummies, and chocolates, plus the added bonus of leftover pizza to take home! Koslowsky Family dinners were outstanding!
Mom was a lifelong learner. She was a good student, excelling especially in spelling and problem solving. Due to the era she lived in, she was not able to go past grade eight as her family needed her to work on the farm. But the skills learned on the farm, like gardening, preserving, caring for chickens, etc. would serve her well into the future as she cared for their large family on the farm and helped dad start a successful chicken, hog, and animal feed business together with three other couples.
Mom combined her love of spelling and problem solving with her competitive nature and became a force to reckon with whether on a Scrabble board, at the kitchen table playing dominoes, on vacation playing Rook or at her computer playing FreeCell … and winning every time!! Even at 95, mom was up to date on current events such as U.S. politics and still learning new things including the use of e-mail and Zoom calls.
Mom was competitive and beyond the board and card games and bowling leagues, she loved sports! She was a faithful supporter of the Bombers and Blue Jays but especially of the Jets, though less so for refs whom she often disagreed with. As a young family on the farm, we grew up without a TV and a favourite memory was listening to Foster Hewitt and Hockey Night in Canada on the radio on a Saturday evening while eating mom’s delicious cinnamon rolls.
Mom loved her family. She was the glue that kept the family together and was always available to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She prayed for them regularly, loved them unconditionally and supported them in the paths they chose. Plainly stated – she showed up for us in all circumstances. One family member shared, “It seemed the older she got, the more love she had.” Mom loved spending time with her family and showered them with tangible expressions of her love. We celebrated her 95th birthday in late March on a Zoom call and she saw and heard most of her large extended family, even great-grandchildren, share memories and love.
Mom loved Jesus. She decided to follow Jesus as a teenager and was baptized in the Red River. The verse that spoke to her at that time was Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Mom continued to trust and serve Jesus throughout her life. She loved her Bible and her daily devotional and took time each day to pray for her family. She lived out her faith through her kindness, generosity, and love for God and for people.
Mom was not tall. Family members would joke with her that she would not die but would just disappear. In a way, she has disappeared. But her love, our memories of her, and her impact on us will not disappear or die. We do not grieve as those without hope but rejoice with confidence, knowing she has been welcomed into the arms of her Heavenly Father.
We love you Mom.
To view the video of the graveside service,
Select ”Photos and Videos”,
And “Watch Tribute Video”