SKERLJ, Kristina (nee Tomi) Skerlj - Was the heart of our family, creative, multi-talented and hardworking, she was always welcoming to those who came over. She had the largest laugh, so contagious, you couldn’t help but laugh with her.
She died peacefully on June 21, 2024 in Oshawa, Ontario at the age of 86 years old with her son Frank by her side.
Kristina was born in 1937 in Kompolje, Slovenia to parents Kristina (nee Jakopi) and John Tomi.
Growing up in Kompolje, Kristina moved to Ljubljana to attend school as a young woman. In her early 20’s, she started work at a bank where she met her late husband Franc Skerlj. They were married in April 1964 and later welcomed their first child Barbara.
Franc and Kristina decided they would emigrate to Canada when Franc had the opportunity to leave the country then known then as Jugoslavia. They started building their lives and family in Canada, bearing three more children, Christine, Frank, and Peter. They moved to Bowmanville, Ontario for 8 years and then settled in Whitby, Ontario for the next 40 years.
They joined the local Slovenian culture club where they were able to socialize with other immigrant Slovenians. Fond memories were created over the years attending Sunday picnics through the summers with their children and banquets through the winters, enjoying lots of dancing and great Slovenian food. Kristina absolutely loved getting dressed up for these banquets and as a talented seamstress created her own beautiful dresses to wear.
During their time in Bowmanville, Kristina’s parents had the opportunity to visit a couple of times from Slovenia which made her very happy. Many Sundays over the years were spent together with her brothers’ families where she was never short of conversations and laughs.
At home, Kristina loved to make incredible food for her family. She put her heart and soul into preparing beautiful Slovenian recipes, always homemade and with a variety of delicious desserts. She would get together with her friends to make egg noodles, or potica. She made sweets in large batches so that there was always something delicious to offer visitors along with a laugh.
After 10 years in Canada, Franc and Kristina finally returned to Europe to visit their families. Creating special memories for their children, where they could spend time with their Grandparents, play and work on the farm around the animals, collect hay to load on a horse drawn wagon, and so much more.
Kristina showed her children all the places and people she loved in Slovenia, sharing stories from her youth. This was the first of many family trips to Europe, across Canada and the United States.
Kristina’s life was her family, whom she loved and supported always, over and above everything else.
She will be deeply missed by her children and their partners Roberta, Pardeep, and Nath, her grandchildren James, Katelyn, Veronica, Norman, Madelin, Shawn and Olivia and her great grandson James Junior.
In Canada, she is survived by her brothers and their wives and children, John and Francis Tomšič, and Joe and Donna Tomšič. In Slovenia, she is survived by her two sisters Nada and Anka, their husbands, and is also survived by Franc Skerlj’s family in Slovenia, his brother Pavel and his children, his sisters Irena, Marija, and Sonja and their families, and all surviving cousins.
May her spirit be free and filled with joy as she continues her journey.
Visitation will be held at BARNES MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME on Friday July 16th from 9:30 - 10:30 am followed by a funeral mass at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church at 11:00 am.
