Ollie

PASIAK, OLGA “OLLIE” - Passed away peacefully with her family by her side at the age of 94, on April 19, 2023 at Meadows of Dorchester, Niagara Falls. She was born June 10, 1928 in Winnipeg and moved to Toronto as a young child with her late parents John Hryk and Annie (née Dumniak). She was a big sister to Diane Eiserman. Ollie enjoyed her downtown childhood and especially her summers on her father’s farm near Bradford in the Holland Marsh. She had a love for music that continued all her life, playing violin in her school orchestra, singing in a Ukrainian choir and participating in a Ukrainian dance group. Ollie was a 1940’s graduate of Shaw Business College and started a career at the federal Weather Bureau working for Canada’s first TV meteorologist, Percy Salzman. As was typical at the time Ollie became a homemaker following her first pregnancy, but later returned to work for Bell Canada in the 1970s.

With her late husband, Paul Pasiak, Ollie raised three children, Bill (Yolanda), the late Robert “Bob”, and Susan (John) Greene in the suburban life of Scarborough which she very much enjoyed and referred to as the best times of her life with many friends and warm neighbours.

She was “grandma” to nine: Kurt (Christine Peterson), Christian (Rebecca), Brad, Anastasia Bellini (Frank), Amanda (Prem Jeyananthan), Dr. Cassandra (Berto Iannicello), Jonathan (Alex), Allison Wells (David) and Emily Greene (Kyle Phibbs).

Ollie was very proud to be a Ukrainian great-grandmother “Baba” to twelve: Eli and Zoe Pasiak, Nico, Lorenzo and Luca Bellini, Maxwell Pasiak, and Beatrice Iannicello; Myles and Paige Jeyananthan; Olivia and Jacob Wells and Madison Phibbs.

The family is very grateful for the wonderful care that she received in her last home, Meadows of Dorchester in Niagara Falls, close to her daughter Susan’s home. She actively enjoyed her last years there and made many friends while participating in her favourite activities.

At her request, Ollie was cremated. On May 20, 2023, the Bocchinfuso Funeral Home 2 Regent Street, Thorold will host a visitation at 12:00 PM followed by a service at 1:00 PM. Parastas will be celebrated in the chapel by Fr. Jaroslaw Lazoryk of Saints Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church, St Catharines. “Father Jerry” is a friend of the Pasiak family in Sault Ste Marie and the family is grateful that he gave Ollie her Last Rites before she gently passed away. Internment in Prospect Cemetery, Toronto will follow at a date to be determined. Due to Ollie’s love of animals, donations to the animal shelter of your choice, in lieu of flowers, would be appreciated.

Ollie’s motto was how she met challenges and embraced joy in her life, “Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, the future’s not ours to see, que sera, sera.”