Teodozja (Teddy) Hapiuk passed away at the age of 87 on Monday, October 6, with her nieces, Anna and Barbara, as well as her grand-niece Sophia, by her side, after a dehabilitating struggle with cancer. She is pre-deceased by her sisters Janina and Helena, as well as her husband, Jaroslaw.

Born in Tłumacz, Poland, Todzia/Teddy was the first of her family to bravely set out for Canada to marry her husband, followed by her sister Helena a few years later.

Todzia’s family recognized the signs of trauma that displacement and war caused her. As a child during World War II, her family was forced to leave Tłumacz, Poland (now in Western Ukraine) for the Śląsk area under then Nazi occupation. Although she willingly told stories of her childhood to her nieces, the stories were always laced with details of poverty, struggle, and tragedy. She described how, on a family vacation, air raid sirens forced her father to throw her onto his back as they ran for cover because she was too small to run fast. The German soldiers told them to join them in their shelter, as they would not make it to the one assigned for Poles. When they exited, they noticed the shoe store that was next door to the home they were staying was in a pile of rubble.

It was her willingness to tell stories like these that gave her nieces and grand-nieces and nephews a clear picture of their family’s childhood. As a young woman, she excelled in gymnastics and attended a woman’s sports school and would return to Poland regularly for reunions. She was in contact with her friends Małgosia and Zosia from the sports school until the time of her death.

In Canada, Todzia was better known to her colleagues and neighbours as Teddy. She worked at Carlton Cards and tirelessly raised money for Sick Kids Hospital annually. Before she was widowed, she spent every summer with her husband camping on French River with their friends, and fishing and blueberry picking were a yearly tradition. When she returned from camping, after the camper was put away, she had her sister and nieces come over to make pierogi from the wild blueberries she had picked and would often say that nothing tasted better than the fruits of your own labour.

Teddy is remembered by her friends as a friendly, outgoing person, but it was her fierce tenacity and independence which made an impression on many. She would regularly figure out how to do things for herself, and it is a quality she had for almost 40 years after her husband passed away. Her neighbour had to convince her to stop climbing a ladder to clear out her gutters when she was 85. She never forgot her cousins Marta, Krysia, and Emilia, and their love and support carried her through her last few months as she mourned the loss of her sister. She was steadfast in her Catholic faith, as well as her love for all her nieces and grand-nieces and nephews - no birthday or name day was forgotten. She will be missed by her nieces, Anna, Barbara, Hania, Ala, and Bogusia, her grand- nephews Damian and Józio, her grand- nieces Sophia and Madelenka, as well as Stasio and Tadzio.

Visitation will take place at Turner and Porter, Peel Chapel, from 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, October 14; rosary will be at 7 pm. The funeral mass is on Wednesday, October 15, at 10:00 am at St Casimir’s Church on Roncesvalles in Toronto. Interment at Park Lawn Cemetery.

As Teddy was victim of displacement due to war, the family asks that donations be made to support victims of displacement in Palestine through Penny Appeal. Alternatively, donations can be made to Sick Kids Hospital.