MARTHA BAGDONAS (TYSLAU)

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MARTHA BAGDONAS (nee TYSLAU) It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother, grandmother, great grandmother, Martha, on Monday, September 8, 2008 at the age of 88 years after a brief stay at the Concordia Hospital. Martha was predeceased by her husband Peter, (1984); infant daughter Wanda; her sisters, Caroline and Emma; brother, Gustav and parents Emma and August Tyslau. She will be dearly missed by her son Edward (Nora); her grandchildren Brian (Gloria), Debra (Sean); and her four great-grandchildren, Kyle, Ella, Shelby and Keira; her brother, Edward (Doris); and her nephews and nieces. Martha was born on April 4, 1920. The second of five children, to August and Emma Tyslau, in Vidgiriai, Lithuania. During the war Martha met and married her husband Peter in 1946, Denmark. In 1952 she immigrated to Canada with her small family where they settled in Winnipeg. Martha worked in the garment industry until her retirement in 1985. Although she spent many long hours of sewing and knitting, her greater joy was helping in the kitchen of her beloved Winnipeg Lithuanian Society, where she was an active member in the choir. Martha was very proud of her heritage and spent many years helping at Folklorama's Lithuanian Pavilion. She was also a very strong supporter of St. Casimir Roman Catholic Church, where Fr. Bartasius, (deceased) awarded her with a medal of St. Kazimieras, patron saint of Lithuania, in recognition for her long hours of work and support of the parish community. Martha's sense of humor was unique. She was quick witted and could find humor in the smallest of situations. She made friends easily, and cherished them for a lifetime. Always ready to invite you over for a cup of coffee where she would entertain you with her stories and feed you with her homemade treats. A true and talented gardener, she never missed an opportunity to spend time in her well kept, immaculate yard, where she tended to her flowers and vegetables with great care and was always ready to share her bounty with her friends and family. No matter what Martha was doing, if any member of her family needed something from her, she was always ready and willing to assist with her guidance, her time, her patience, her talents and most importantly her unconditional love. Martha's funeral service will be held on Friday, September 12, at 2:00 p.m. in the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington Street, with Pastor Don Engel, presider. Interment will follow in Brookside Cemetery, 3001 Notre Dame Avenue. We will miss our Martha, dearly.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 10, 2008