ANNA KARMAN

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ANNA KARMAN With sadness in our hearts, we announce the passing of our mother and grandmother, Anna Karman, who was freed from all suffering on October 14, 2010 at Meadowood Manor. Left to mourn and cherish her memory are her daughters, Anne (Lawrence) Anderson and Elizabeth Karman, her grandson Ron (Marie) Anderson with his extended family, and her granddaughter Cindy (Jim) Emslie with her extended family. In addition she will be remembered and missed by family and friends in Manitoba, Alberta and Slovakia. Anna was born on December 18, 1914 in Lentvora, Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia) where she spent the first 35 years of her life. There she married her first husband, Pavel, and gave birth to her daughter, Anne. However, she lived through many challenges, including the death of Pavel in 1946 and the devastation of the Second World War. By 1948, Andrew, a young man from a neighbouring village, who had gone to establish himself in Canada some years ago, came into her life. She would eventually accept a proposal of marriage from him, and shortly thereafter she and her daughter, Anne, left to make their lives in Canada. The day of their departure, all the people of Lentvora came out to bid them farewell, their possessions being loaded onto an army truck no less. It was time of great excitement for this tiny village that rarely saw a motor vehicle. Just before arriving in Winnipeg by train, on May 24, 1948, a farmyard just east of the town of Dugald stood out in Anna's mind. She noticed that there was a fairly new house, a garden, and some cows in the pasture. She told herself it was somewhere she would like to live. As it turned out this was the very farm that Andrew, the man she was coming to marry, had recently purchased and that would become her home for the next 42 years of her life. Anna received a quick initiation to life on the farm. Her first day there Andrew had her climb onto the tractor, gave her a brief lesson on how to operate it, and away she went. Grandma, Andrew's mother who was living with them, called out in fear that she was going to knock the barn down! From that day on, Mom regularly assisted with the work on the field, the running of a small dairy, and caring for the farm animals. Over the years the yard became a showcase. In the summer Mom dearly loved nurturing her flowers and tending to a garden that always produced more than the family could use. Winters she spent crocheting, embroidering and sewing. She sometimes found the process frustrating, but felt a sense of accomplishment at the end result. She was also known for her baking. Nobody ever visited the house without sampling a home-made specialty from her kitchen. But there was nothing more important than her family and she was happiest when surrounded by them. Later in life Anna developed a passion for hockey, watching games regularly with Dad. She listened to all the Jets' games on the radio, but when there was another game being broadcast on TV at the same time, she would seat herself so she could follow both. All of us knew better than to interrupt her for these few hours. Mom knew all the players in those days, their teams, and their numbers. During international tournaments she supported both Canada and Slovakia. Even after Dad passed away in 1995, Mom's love for hockey continued. For the last five years Anna's home was Meadowood Manor. Unlike most people, time in a personal care home found her thriving spiritually and emotionally. There she enjoyed attending the inspirational services, the recreational activities, musical presentations, parties and so on. She never lost her competitive edge, always proud when she did well in a round of table shuffleboard or bowling. We are grateful to those on staff who shared these years with us as a family. She often told us how good you were to her. Your compassion, caring and friendship for both Mom and us will be forever appreciated and never forgotten. We invite family and friends to attend a celebration of her life on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcona Funeral Chapel 1800 Day Street with Chaplain Dave Holland officiating. To all of you who have a Mother Treasure her with care For you will never know the heartache felt When you find she isn't there. Thank you Mom for all you gave. Vecny Odpocinok

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 19, 2010