CHOROSZY, Helena (Kawa) - Helena herself passed away peacefully on December 20, 2020.
Helena was born August 11, 1924, in Weteranówka, Poland, (in what is now Ukraine). In 1940, at the age of sixteen, Helena and her family were evicted from their homes and sent to Siberia by Stalin’s forces.
In 1942, Helena joined the Polish Army in the Soviet Union in the Women’s Auxiliary Unit (Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet).
Evacuated to Iran that year, she was then moved to Iraq where she trained as a military truck driver.
She was assigned to the 317 Transport Company, part of the 2nd Polish Corps under General Władysław Anders.
After the war, she married her beloved Adam Choroszy, who had been a tank driver in the battles at Monte Cassino. They moved to Argentina with her mother, Anna Kawa, brother Józef Kawa (Elżbieta) and one sister Kazimiera Rysiak (Józef).
Her two other sisters, Julia Monid (Leonard) and Izabela Reitmeier (Stefan), had moved to Canada after the war, and, between 1957/1958, Adam and Helena, and the rest of the family in Argentina, emigrated to Canada to join the family already in Toronto. Here, she was a long time employee of Timex Canada, and they were loyal parishioners of St. Mary’s Polish Church on Davenport. Upon retirement, Adam and Helena moved to the Barrie area. Sadly, Adam passed away too young in 1992.
She is survived and lovingly remembered by her siblings, Julia, Izabela and Józef, her brother-in-law Stefan, her 17 nieces and nephews with their families, friends young and old, as well as family in the United States and Poland.
Many thanks to Wawel Villa for the wonderful care they provided over her seven years there, and to Copernicus Lodge for making her last few weeks peaceful and comfortable.
Beloved daughter, wife, sister, aunt, great-aunt, soldier and friend – may she rest in peace.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of Helena favourite charities:
• Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, 650 Essa Road, Barrie, ON L4N 9E6 - Tel 705-722-3771 https://community.archtoronto.org/page.aspx?pid=405 then choose the Parish – Holy Spirit Parish, Barrie. In comments you can write “In Memory of Helena Choroszy”
• Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, 14 Connaught Circle - Toronto, ON M6C 2S7 - Tel. 416-781-3925
https://www.claveriansisters.ca/donate In comments you can write “In Memory of Helena Choroszy”.
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