Mary (Kusek) Luchak – Tribute
Read at her funeral on November 29, 1989
Authors unknown
Mary Kusek was born April 13th, 1898 in Ispas, Bukovina, Austria – now the Ukraine – to Michailo and Eudokia Kusek. At a very early age Mary displayed her independence and free spirit. She was a bright child who was quick in observing and absorbing life around her. In 1903, when Mary was five, the Kuseks, with their two daughters and several other members of the village, including the Luchak family, began their long journey to Canada. After reaching Edmonton, Alberta, they proceeded with other families, in newly constructed scows, to go eastward on the North Saskatchewan River. The Kusek’s scow was untied from the others when it reached what is now the Sunland District near Shandro, Alberta while the others proceeded another 20 miles or so eastward. In 1905 another baby daughter, Pearl, was born to the family. However, shortly after, Mary’s mother contracted pneumonia and died at the young age of 27 years. Mary was heartbroken as she loved her mother dearly. It seemed to her that her life also ended on that day. But life must go on and Mary, despite her young age, was kept busy being mother to her younger sisters as well as helping with household chores. It wasn’t long before her father remarried. But because of Mary’s independent spirit, she was never to realize a close relationship with her step-mother. In time the family increased by two girls, Irene and Rose, and two boys, Bill and John.
Mary grew up without any formal schooling in reading or writing. But rather, she excelled in the domestic arena which often took her away from home as hired help to other households. At one time she was working for a lady doctor who had a mission clinic at the Saddle Lake Cree Nation Reserve. Mary’s brightness and undeveloped talents were recognized by this lady doctor who wanted to adopt Mary as her daughter and give her the education she needed. But Mary’s father would not give his permission and even took Mary back home.
Mary, a mature young lady at the age of 13, caught the attention of a young man of 18 named Nick Luchak. On February 1st, 1912, Mary became his bride and was taken to his homestead in Hamlin, Alberta. Unlike other marriages, which were contracted by parents, Mary and Nick were in love with each other, which accounted for the happiness which prevailed throughout their marriage. Mary enjoyed her new domestic role and proved to be a hospitable hostess to all who entered their home. Seven children were born in the next 14 years. In 1926, Nick went to the West Coast to find work, as the sandy soil on the farm yielded poorly. Three months after working at various jobs, Nick saved enough money to purchase tickets for his family, as he decided to make Vancouver their new home. In 1929, another baby boy was born to the family. There were now eight children in number – Doris, Sadie, Bill, Michael, Janice, Violet, John, and Alec.
Mary’s resourcefulness in making ends meet was taxed heavily but she managed to cope. Mary loved life and people. So it was natural for their home to be both a happy one and popular one. Many were the parties that were held, with Nick playing his violin and his oldest son playing the dulcimer. Mary’s hands were never idle. Besides sewing garments for her children and embroidering, her cooking skills were unexcelled. Many pots of borscht, perroheh, holoptchi, and nachinka were consumed by both family and friends. Mary made certain that no single person, or someone in need, ever left the house without a plate or two of her food. Many times Nick and Mary took jars of hot soup and holoptchi to those who were too ill to cook for themselves. She truly “stretched out her hand to the poor and reached forth her hands to the needy”.
Jobs, at times, were hard to come by. But Mary somehow managed to keep the family clothed and fed. Mary decided to try her hand at earning some money. So she applied for work in the kitchen of the old St. Joseph Hospital. She did her work so well that she was promoted from dishwashing to helping the cook. Her talents in cooking were soon apparent and she was asked to share responsibilities with the head cook. Mary thought she would be able to handle the work, but when she was given a handful of recipes to make up, she looked at them in dismay because of her inability to read. She put the papers on the table and, without a word, walked away from the job. Her daughter, Sadie, persuaded her to go to a class to read and write in English. Mary went to two classes, but the experience was so stressful for her, she decided not to return, a decision which she always regretted.
In the late 1930’s, Mary and Nick attended Ukrainian bible lectures by Pastors Demchuk and Bodrug of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith. At the end of the series, Nick embraced these truths and was baptized. Mary’s love for socializing with old friends prevented her from joining her husband, although she too was convinced of these truths. Ten years were to pass before Mary surrendered her heart to Christ. One very persuasive factor was a dream she had of Jesus sitting along the road she was walking. He held out his hands and said, “Mary, I love you. Come be my child”. She never forgot that experience. It was shortly after that she decided to follow Jesus. One of her greatest hopes and encouragements as she faced life’s problems, was that her Lord would soon return. One of her greater concerns, which she voiced daily in prayer, was that her family would be ready when Jesus would come. She claimed that beautiful promise in Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household”.
In the 1970’s, Nick and Mary moved from their home on Pender Street to a senior citizen’s complex, where they lived for the next 12 years. When Mary was unable to cope with daily home chores, they moved to the Royal Arch Masonic Home. As the years went by, Nick, now in his 96th year, was steadily becoming weaker in strength. Just days before their 77th wedding anniversary, Nick contracted pneumonia, from which he never fully recovered. On February 25th, at 10 o’clock in the evening, he quietly passed to his rest.
At this time, another health crisis took shape in Mary’s life. Mary was no stranger to suffering. There were health crises in her life before, in which her family feared for her life. But it always seemed that “when the going got tough, the tough got going”. Mary rallied to health time and time again, but, on the evening of November 24th, she complained of abdominal pains which increased in intensity. She was admitted to Burnaby Hospital early the next morning and underwent a series of x-rays which revealed a perforation in the bowel, too late for any surgical intervention. Mary, under sedation, passed to her rest that evening.
She will be sadly missed by her family—Sadie and Albert Webster of Vancouver; Violet and John Melenchuk of Alberta; Bill and Betty Lucas of Oregon; Michael and Marjorie Luchak of Lillooet; John and Jean Lucas of West Vancouver; Alec and Maxine Lucas of Vancouver; 2 sisters, Pearl and Irene Trufyn of Edmonton; 1 brother and his wife, John and Anne Kusek of Edmonton; 18 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren; 2 sons-in law, Peter Mathews of Vancouver and Howard Chance of Oregon; and many friends and relatives.