Betty Leona Brezinski of Yorkton, formerly of Invermay, passed away peacefully at her home in Aspen Bluff Villa, Yorkton on Sunday, January 1, 2017. She was 83 years of age. Betty was born on November 16, 1933 on the family farm in the Buchanan District, the daughter of Joseph and Anna (Wolkowski) Soloski. Her siblings were Rudy, Joyce, Al and Bronoslaw, who died in infancy. She completed grade 9 at Buchanan School and at the age of 16 ventured to Winnipeg to work as a receptionist at St. Joseph's Hospital. About a year later she returned home and became a teller at the Royal Bank in Invermay. In May 1952 Betty met the love of her life, Marion, at a Feast Day celebration at St. Andrew's Church, north of Invermay. In October of that same year Betty became Marion's wife at St. Ann's R.C. Church, Buchanan. After working for a short time in Westburn, MB, Marion and Betty returned to tend to Marion's family farm, 10 miles NE of Invermay and care for his younger siblings; Tony, Louis and Adele. They farmed the homestead for the next ten years while Betty became the mother of her first three children, Cecilia, David and Gerald. In September 1961 the young family moved to the house they built with their own hands, 3 miles south of the homestead. It was here that the next three children; Lydia, Monica and James were added to the family. At the side of her husband, Betty developed a farmyard and four quarters of land. With her husband she gardened, worked the dairy, hauled the grain, slopped the pigs, picked the eggs, butchered the chickens, drove the school bus and raised their reason for living - their 6 children. Betty often spoke about how "we never worked on Sunday, but the work was always done" and Betty always made sure there was time for their cherished neighbours, friends and family. On top of all this Betty still found time to sew, crochet and home-cooked meals were her specialty. After the children left home Betty was the librarian and then a receptionist at the doctors office in Invermay. 1992 was the year of the farm auction sale though the newly retired couple lived at their farmyard for 2 more years. In 1994 they bought a house in Yorkton and the move was made to the city. As Marion's health was failing, Betty reached out for help and moved to Calgary to be near her son, David, brother Al, sister Joyce and their families. August 1998 brought Betty and Marion back to Yorkton to a manageable apartment. In Betty's words "….things changed. Another leaf got turned over…" - on September 24, 1999, the love of her life was admitted to the Yorkton Regional Nursing Home. With Marion taken care of, Betty found pleasure in cooking for the Redemptorist priests of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Church in Yorkton. For 8 years Betty never missed a day of visiting her husband and she was at his side when he passed away. If ever she needed to be away, she made sure someone took her place. Occasions that took Betty away from the farm with Marion or later from Marion's side included family functions like Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, graduations, Ukrainian Dancing or sporting events and weddings of her 22 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren and the funeral of her grandson, Michael. Betty and Marion also made numerous pilgrimages together and recently Betty humbly bragged about never missing the pilgrimage in Rama. Betty was very happy to say she travelled from the east coast to the west coast of Canada - the Rocky Mountains being her favourite. She has boxes of memorabilia of trips she made to Lourdes, Florida, Hawaii, Ukraine, Winona, Spain and most treasured were the pilgrimages she made with her brother, Al, to the Holy Land and Rome where she prayed with all her heart for those dear to her. Fairview Arms Independent Living Condo became Betty's new home in July 2002. She lived there and loved the lifestyle of freedom to come and go it gave her until rapidly declining health forced her to move to Aspen Bluff Villa Private Care Home on December 1, 2016. After receiving all the blessings that her beloved Church offered, it was from her new home that Betty passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 1, 2017. May she rest in peace. Prayers were held on Friday, January 6, 2017 preceded by the praying of the rosary led by Betty's grandchildren from St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yorkton with Very Rev. Father Bohdan Lukie, C.Ss.R. officiating. Funeral Mass was celebrated according to the traditional Latin rite on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 10:00 am from the Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre with Rev. Father Raymond Lillis as the Celebrant. Grandsons, Jason Sliva, Eric Sliva, Gregory Dutchak, Timothy Sliva and Joseph Sliva served as altar servers. Honourary Bearers were grandchildren, Laura, Donna, Nicole, Melissa, Jessica, Caitlyn, Aaron, Sarah, Naomi, Stephanie, Mercedes, Kimberly, Austin and all eighteen great-grandchildren. Interment followed in the Yorkton City Cemetery with Jackson Brezinski, Griffin Brezinski, Kenneth Soloski, Garth Sliva, James Huber and Kevin Sliva serving as the casket bearers. Memorials in memory of Betty may be made toward Mass Offerings or to Palliative Care at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre as gifts of remembrance. Condolences can be sent to the family at .
