Stella (Woitas) Chaykoski

     It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that our dear loving mother, Stella Chaykoski, passed away on February 26, 2023, at the age of 94 years.

     Stella was one of the 16 children born to Rose and Steven Woitas. She grew up with many sisters and brothers on a farm at West Bend. Mom was brought up as a strong Catholic and attended the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many times we went to church by horse and buggy. Later on, she attended the Coleraine School, but quit in grade 6 to help her mother with the younger children.

     In her older years, she worked at Hayk’s store. It was then she met our Dad. They were married in 1948. They bought a farm 10 miles north of Kelliher. It was a very hard life to start when they had nothing. Slowly they bought what was needed on the farm. They were blessed with 3 beautiful daughters: Shirley, Jeannette, and Sharon.

     Mom never sat idle, her hands were always busy. She was a woman that took pride in everything she did. Mom grew the most beautiful gardens, flowers, and kept her grass cut and trimmed. She loved her chickens, geese and especially the bantams. She was an excellent cook, baker, and canner.

     She was an active member of the Model Farm Church, she always helped every opportunity she had in the hall. Helping with cooking and serving tables, and making jokes with men and women working together. Mom had a great sense of humor. She was faithful to Baba Woitas living in the Nursing Home at the time and to her brother Walter living independently in his own home. She walked faithfully everyday, to make sure all was well with them. Mom enjoyed her grandchildren very much and she would make sure to have cookies, donuts, etc for them to eat when they visited her. She was a gentle and kind person to all the people that she knew.

     Mom and Dad loved dancing, they attended almost every dance or wedding in the area. She loved dancing with her sister Kay and boy did they go! Mom always looked forward to Kay coming there because they made perogies while having fun doing it! Mom and her sister, Anne Kolybaba, had a special bond together. They shared secrets and spent time together whenever it was possible, over coffee and special occasions. In later years, they sold the farm and moved to Foam Lake. Mom liked it there, she met a lot of friends and looked after her mother until she passed away. In her later years, she took sick and ended in the Foam Lake Jubilee nursing home.

     Left behind to mourn Stella are her three daughters: Shirley, Janet (Allen), Sharon.  Also left to remember her are her grandchildren and great grandchildren: Shirley (Clinton), Clifford (Karissa, Landon), Janet (Allan) Tavis (Tracy), Eli, Kody and Chance  Riedel, Sharon, Sheila (Justyn) Zuchkan (Kenya, Kloe,  Kwin), Shawn Serelo (Tasia, Dawsyn), siblings: Anne Kolybaba, Olga Philips, Kay Chrunik, Lillian (Wayne) Harris, Theresa (Stan) Harder, Mikey (Geraldine) Woitas., and sister-in-law Janice Woitas.

Rest in Peace our Dear Mom.

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