Luba CIMERMAN

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CIMERMAN: Luba (Brandzin) Cimerman passed away peacefully April 12, 2011, at the age of 86, in the Neepawa Health Centre with her family at her side. Luba, born April 7, 1925 in a small town by the Sea of Azov in the Ukraine, was named Vera Nadia Maria Luba Minyalo. A short, robust, feisty and determined woman, Luba’s life was riddled with tragedy and blessings. At only 2 years old, her first tragedy struck. She lost her mother, and left Luba and her baby sister motherless and a mean-spirited step-mother took charge. Luba was taken prisoner by German occupation forces at age sixteen. Rounded up she and young people from her town were transported by box car to Germany. She was confined to concentration and work camps. From there, she worked in a munitions factory that was later bombed by the Allied forces, leaving her with shrapnel wounds on her legs and back, barely escaping death. She was nursed back to health by a caring German family. Luba worked as a nurse in a German hospital after the war and dreamed of coming to Canada. After several months of scrimping and saving, and waiting for her application to be approved, Luba arrived in Manitoba in 1948. Luba wanted to be Canadian, and wanted to work in a place where she could learn English; Immigration services placed her on a farm near Mentmore, Manitoba, under the care of Kitty Murray, who, became her mentor and taught her the Canadian way. Luba taught herself to read and write English. Luba was ‘noticed’ by a young Polish fellow, Joseph Brandzin, who was working on a farm not far away. Like her, he had immigrated to Canada and in October, 1949, she married “Joe”. It was the happiest time of her life, even though they had nothing, they were blessed with such great love. Life became very busy for them and within 12 years, they had 5 daughters. These early times were filled with much laughter. Tragedy, however, would come again. In 1964, “Joe” suffered a cerebral aneurysm and died within 6 weeks. With 5 young children to provide for, ages 2 to 14, Luba went to work full time at Murray’s garage in Neepawa. For the next 25 years she worked hard, reconditioning and polishing cars until they looked like new; perfect to pass Luba’s high standards. She worked alongside several men; mechanics and salesmen alike had a great respect for her opinion. It was Luba’s sheer determination that got her through life. Eventually, Luba married Bill Cimerman, who later got a job at Murray’s, and together they worked reconditioning cars until retirement. Just before Bill died, in 1993, they moved from the country into “town”. Her garden was her life, at times almost an Olympic competition with the weather. Luba’s determination, to beat the weather by trying to get a head start on her garden, was something to see. Again in competition with the weather, at the age of 80, she climbed a ladder to shovel the heavy snow off her roof. In fact, right until November of 2010, she still shoveled her own driveway, often starting before it had even finished falling. Luba also loved to cook and bake. She would make dozens of perogies and cabbage rolls at a time, freeze them, and have them ready to give them to family when they visited. Only 2 weeks before her death, Luba fell off a chair attempting to get baking pans from a shelf to make Easter bread for her “kids”. She didn’t tell anyone about the fall for a couple days, in the end, this likely hastened her death. The weekend before Luba died, her family celebrated her 86th birthday with her. Her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren, gathered in the boardroom of the Neepawa Health Centre with birthday cake and a song to say goodbye knowing it would be her last birthday. The next day she shared that what she “would miss most is seeing those little kids grow up”. Predeceased by both of her husbands, Luba is survived by 5 daughters: Mary (Ron) Daeninck, Josephine (Lawrence) Verstraete, Barbara Brandzin, Vera (Steve Warrington) Brandzin and Teresa Manaigre; 8 grandchildren: Jason (Jenny) Chambers, Eric (Tara) Daeninck, James (Angie) Chambers, Mark (Gail) Daeninck, Stephen (Kristina Eye) Verstraete, Ashley (Nick) Malzahn, Kristina Manaigre, Cody Manaigre; 6 great-grandchildren: Brandon, Andy, Zachary, Isaac, Olivia and Sam. As would be expected, Luba never accepted the diagnosis of cancer. “It is the Manitoba flu” she said repeatedly. She was a challenge for the medical profession; non-compliant was how one person described her. Dr. Poettcker, who stick-handled around her thorny refusal to follow directions this past year, would probably agree. The family would like to thank Dr. Poettcker, the team of nurses who visited her at home in the last months – Sharon, Charity, Sandra, Lori and Ginny – and the staff at the Neepawa Health Centre and Palliative Care Service, for their care. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church, Neepawa, Manitoba on April 18, 2011. Celebrant was Fr. David Kowalski. Pallbearers were her six grandsons: Jason, Eric, James, Mark, Stephen, and Cody. Interment was at the Riverside Cemetery, Neepawa, Manitoba. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Neepawa and District Palliative Care Service. Funeral arrangements were made by White’s Funeral Home, Neepawa, Manitoba.

As published in Brandon Sun on Apr 30, 2011