Wanda passed away peacefully at the age of 101 with family at her side. A wonderful Mother, Grandmother and Great-Grandmother, Wanda leaves behind her two remaining sons Jon and Julius (predeceased by her first-born Ted), six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Wanda was born on February 16, 1923 in Graużyszki, a small Polish village near the Lithuanian border. She was the youngest of 9 children (7 sisters and 1 brother) born to Gedymin and Katarzyna Suchwallo. Her paternal grandparents were Hilary Suchwallo from Ludy and Katarzyna Giruć from Pobolevshchina, two small villages in Belarus. Her maternal grandparents were Jan and Helena Bizukojć.

In 1946 the Suchwallo Family were evacuated by the invading Russians to the town of Elk in the Mazury region of Poland. They eventually settled down in a picturesque lakeside village Wydminy. It was here that Wanda met Edward Gryguć whose family lived in a nearby town Skustele. In November 1947 the entire village celebrated their wedding which lasted several days. In 1948 at home with the help of midwives Wanda gave birth to their first son Tadeusz soon followed by Janusz and Juliusz.

Wanda came from a musical family. Her father Gedymin was a music teacher and played several musical instruments including the organ at the church next door where Wanda sang in the choir. Neighbours and family would frequently gather to hear Wanda sing while accompanying herself on the piano.

In May 1959 Wanda, Edward with their three little boys took all their wordily possessions on horse drawn wagon to the local railway station, travelled by rail to Gdynia from where they sailed on the Stefan Batory to Montréal and finally settled down in her oldest sister Franciszka’s (Niusia) Toronto home.

After a short stint as a kindergarten teacher Wanda worked as the Administrator of St. Casimir’s Church from 1960 to 1991. She was also a respected and well-loved teacher to over 2,000 students at St. Casimir’s Polish School from 1960 to 1994 when she retired. Wanda even found time to author numerous Polish Language Grammar books which are still in use today. It was impossible for Wanda to walk down Roncesvalles without someone stopping to say hello and reminisce about their days as her students … often two generations from the same family. Wanda also found time to pursue her passion of singing in St. Casimir’s Church choir “Melodia” for over 51 years as the first soprano and President.

When all three sons eventually went their separate ways, Wanda and Ed travelled the world and spent their summers at the family cottage in Muskoka. They were inseparable for 55 years until Edward passed away in early 2002 after a short illness. In 2010 Wanda moved to Wawel Villa Seniors Residence in Mississauga.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to Wawel Villa Seniors Residences in Mississauga.