June 18, 1949 – October 15, 2023
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Barbara “Bash” Chwajewski.
Barbara passed away peacefully the afternoon of Sunday, October 15, 2023, with the love of her family surrounding her.
Barbara was born in Vilnius, Lithuania (Wielkie Soleczniki) in 1949 to Helen and Mieczslaw (Michael) and then immigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba with her sister Lucy and later, her sister Yolanda.
Barbara was known as the “busy bee” – always wanting to get out of the house to explore and do things. Her favorite past time was hanging out at “Tim’s”, having a coffee and muffin with Yolanda, and chatting away for hours. She also liked to put together jigsaw puzzles – some of which were challenging and up to 500 pieces or more. She would sit for hours and days until she managed to finish the entire puzzle and had quite the collection in her room. She enjoyed spending time at WASO and doing arts and crafts and going on excursions around the city with the rest of the community members. She was fond of strolling at Garden City or Polo Park and spending her money on various “junks and trinkets” that she found amusing. She also loved travelling – having gone to Poland to visit various cities and enjoying time with her many cousins, aunts and uncles, and to Prague to walk the steps of castles and busy city streets, and to Toronto to visit her niece Athena and nephew Alex (and wife Pola). Music was a very big part of her life and truly touched her soul. She was a walking encyclopedia and knew every singer, when they were born, what genre of music they sang, who they were married to, when they were married, divorced and passed away. Gypsy Kings and Elvis were her all-time favorites and she especially adored going to see Yanni in concert with Yolanda.
Most of all, she loved to reminisce about the past and talk about Wielkie Soleczniki and her times spent as a little girl, running around through the fields on babcia’s property, smelling the field flowers and many other wonderful memories from her times there, as well as in Poland.
Barbara will be dearly missed by her beloved sister and caregiver of many years Yolanda (Tony), Lucy (Ken), nieces Athena and Allisha, and nephew Alex (Pola); as well as numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, great nieces and nephews (in both Canada and Poland), friends and special home care nurses and caregivers.
Funeral services for Barbara will be held on Friday, October 20, 2023, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., at St. Andrew Bobola Catholic Church at 541 Marion Street in St. Boniface.
Interment to follow at Holy Ghost Cemetery at 4387 Main Street.
3 thoughts on “Barbara Chwajewski”
God bless you on your journey Bashi. The cage has been left open and the bird can finally fly free. May you rest eternally in peace. Love Tina xox
We are so very sorry to hear of Barb’s passing. She was a part of our program for a number of years and we have missed her since she retired. Barb loved to attend our many WASO functions especially the annual Christmas Family Banquet. Barb had a great sense of humour and we continue to miss her smile and laughter. Barb loved to talk about her family and her experiences growing up. Barb was genuinely interested in the lives of her friends and co-workers, and she could often be heard asking about people’s lives. When out for coffee, there was never a good donut that Barb would turn down! Barb loved to volunteer and held several volunteer placements over the years, taking great pride in her work. Our sincere condolences to Yolanda and family from Barb’s friends and co-workers at WASO.
Thank you so much for your kind words Anne. Barbara loved attending and being a part of WASO, hence the reason we added this to the OBIT. That sense of community really made her feel that she was part of something that mattered and contributed back. She will be dearly missed but never forgotten. Will be sure to pass on your message to my mom. Thank you, Tina (Yolanda’s daughter)