POSCENTE, Lucy Anne (nee Smaizys) - Lucy Anne Poscente (nee Smaizys) was born in Kaunas, Lithuania on December 13, 1937 and died in Thornhill, Ontario on February 7, 2021.
Surrounded by love, Lucy slipped from this life into the welcoming arms of God on February 7, 2021.
She fought her cancer with a brave determination but had the grace to faithfully accept the end of this phase of her journey and the beginning of the next. She will be deeply missed by her family and all who knew her.
Lucy was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, to Jonas and Victoria Smaizys, just as Europe was consumed by war and displacement. The family, including siblings Sally and John, was uprooted from Lithuania and then Germany, before boarding a ship to Canada. They arrived in Halifax and travelled west by rail to Winnipeg.
Firmly settled within the strong Lithuanian community, Lucy attended school and church. She enjoyed music and grew into an aspiring artist. Lucy studied Fine Art at the University of Manitoba. In 1956 she met Dante Poscente of Trail, BC. They had a whirlwind long-distance romance and married on June 8, 1957.
Lucy and Dante moved to Vancouver and their growing family soon included five children: Neila, Paul, Don, Elise and Mia. In 1967, following a cross country road trip, Lucy and Dante settled their family in Thornhill. Here Lucy played the roles of teacher, taxi driver, nurse and cheerleader to her growing kids. A highlight for the family was their annual trip to Grand Beach to visit the Smaizys family.
Lucy’s artistic expression flourished as a prolific painter, art instructor and art show manager. Her oil paintings are found on walls of friends and family around the world.
In 1979 Dante’s work took them to Rome, with the travel, new friendships and Italian scenery to inspire her creative horizons. Upon returning to Thornhill in 1981, Lucy became the head volunteer baby photographer at York Central Hospital. Lucy’s award-winning flower garden brought her tremendous joy and was a haven for her birds.
Lucy’s kids all began families of their own: Neila and Gene, Paul and Krista, Don and Tenielle, Elise and Bob, and Mia and April all allowed Lucy to add the role of “Nona” as she was blessed with 13 grandchildren who she adored: Erin, David, Michael, Dana, Sophia, Leo, Tessa, Ruby, Matilda, Andrea, Jaymie, Aiden and Matthew.
Lucy and Dante had celebrated their 50th anniversary when Dante was diagnosed with cancer. Lucy was his devoted caregiver and was with him until the end in 2009. This represented the final chapter of their spring, summer and fall romance.
Her winter romance began as a dinner date with Leo Cunningham in 2010. They met at Blessed Trinity church, where they attended daily mass and enjoyed the fellowship of their coffee group. They soon became inseparable and enjoyed a decade of loving companionship and travel. Artistic inspiration flowed from annual trips to sunny destinations and weekends at the cottage. One of Lucy’s final paintings was a misty morning scene of the river. Lucy said, “I feel blessed to have had the love of two wonderful men."
Lucy was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and undertook treatments with courage and dignity. When she decided that further chemotherapy was unacceptable, she faced the final chapter with faith and grace. She passed away on February 7th, 2021, surrounded by Leo and her loving family.
We wish to acknowledge the extraordinary care Lucy received from Dr. Janet Morse, Anna, Kay, Mahmoud and Susan.
Arrangements entrusted with Kane-Jerrett funeral home, Thornhill. Her private funeral mass will be celebrated by Father Ed Murphy and Reverend Elise Feltrin on Monday February 15th at 11am. Everyone is welcome to join us at https://blessedtrinityto.archtoronto.org/
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lucy’s favourite charity at www.chalice.ca.
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