Anna Zazula

Anna Zazula from Cut Bank died in her sleep early Friday morning, June 5, 2015, at Northern Rockies Medical Center.

Viewing will be 3:00 to 6:00 pm on Monday, June 15, 2015 at Whitted Funeral Chapel in Cut Bank followed by a vigil service at 7:00 pm at St. Margaret Catholic Church in Cut Bank.  Funeral Mass will be 10:30 am on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at St. Margaret Catholic Church.  She will be interred at Crown Hill Cemetery.  Please visit Anna’s online memorial and leave a message of condolence for the family at www.whittedfuneralchapel.com.

She was born in Vornaky, which is a small village in Western Ukraine.  She was raised there, making it to the 2 ^nd grade, stopping her schooling because of lack of money in the family.  At age 20 she was taken by the Nazis during the war, put on a boxcar that took her to a German farm in western Germany to work as a slave laborer.  After being taken to Germany she did not see her mother again for 32 years and never saw her father again since he died in that interum.

She survived the war in Germany modestly well since she was working on a production farm which provided sufficient food.  Also it was in Germany that she met a handsome young man, also Ukrainian, her future husband, Wasyl  Zazula.  They were married Feb. 19, 1946, at Heilbronn, Germany, in a double ring ceremony with  friends Ted and Anna Danczak. In 1948, they had Zenon, their first child, in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Then in 1950, Wasyl and Anna received sponsorship from Herb Schofer and travelled to Cut Bank to start a new life.  Wasyl went to work with Great North Railway and mom cleaned houses, took in laundry, or babysat children.

In the mid 50’s they had their house built in Cut Bank on 1 ^st Ave SW, which was, and still is the family house.  They also became US citizens during that time to firmly sink in American roots.  Anna and Wasyl had their second child, Irene, in 1953 in Cut Bank.  Irene passed away in 1991 in a tragic accident.  Anna carried a very strong sorrow in her heart for the rest of her life when Irene got killed; children shouldn’t outlive their parents,.

Like many immigrants Anna and Wasyl were both very hard workers, knowing the value of the dollar.  But just as hard as they worked, they played hard.  Always entertaining friends, attending social functions, going to dances from San Diego to Calgary, and points in between.  Anna was an excellent dancer and was very popular with the guys as the band started up a polka or a waltz.  Whenever friends or strangers came over to the house they were always offered food or drinks, an old country tradition.  Anna was an excellent cook and prepared many different succulent dishes, including Ukrainian foods such as piroshkies, holupchia (“pig in a blanket”) and, of course, borscht.  They always raised a wonderful garden every year that seemed to grow larger in size every few years.  Anna and Wasyl always loved flowers and grew varieties of them through the years.

Mom’s best feature was the love she felt for so many of us, especially her family.  She had an innate sense of a situation and always gave astute advice maybe sprinkled with a softly-biting humorous tint.  She knew the salves and lotions to apply if a knee was scrapped or arm bruised.  Her concoctions of teas could cure any internal ailment.  Mom always had a soft spot in her heart for the family members still living in Ukraine and communicated either by letter or as it became easier to do telephone.  She always made sure that if any overseas niece or nephew that wanted to continue their educational pursuits financial aid would be provided.

In the end, mom and dad had carved out a life together that had a certain spirit and zeal of existence.  Their life was not without troubles or worries, but they always went at it together, solving problems as needed.  Mom’s smile and heart and warmth are no longer physically here, but will always be in our hearts.

God go with you into that dark night.

Anna is survived by her son, Zenon Zazula of Redmond, WA and Cut Bank;  nieces Christine S. Olinyk Georgedes of Powan, CA, Alexandra (Sandy) of Rancho Santa Marguerita, CA, Luba Kopak of Lvov, Ukraine, Roman Wabisczewycz of Lvov, Ukraine and grand-nieces Jenesa Stayton of Oceanside, CA, Gracie Georgedes of Madrid, Spain and Alexis Georgedes of Boise, ID, and a number of cousins many in Ukraine.

She is preceded in death by her husband Wasyl Zazula; parents Thomas and Katherine Zacharczuh; daughter, Irene Zazula; sister, Stephanie Olinyki, Mary Wabisczewycz; and brother Michael Zacharczuk.