A Tribute to Grandma K (written by Andrew Kurjata)
One of the first questions I get asked when I meet someone new is almost always about my name. “How do you spell that?” “What nationality is that?” “Where does that come from?” So today I’d like to share the story of what the name “Kurjata” means to me.
The first thing I associate with the name “Kurjata” is my grandmother. Mary Madeline Oster was born in 1930 in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, and later met and married my grandfather George Kurjata in 1948. They moved from Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan to Chetwynd, BC eventually settling in Dawson Creek in the late 1960’s. Grandpa passed away when I was just one year old, so my vision of the family is a matriarchy- with “Grandma K” at the top of the family tree.
And it is quite the family tree– my grandma had fifteen children, most of whom had children, and many of those have had children, too. Over the span of my memory the number of people in my family has climbed from in the fifties, to the seventies, and ever so closer to the one hundred point as spouses, cousins, and cousins’ kids have been added to the fold.
So, not surprisingly, the second thing I associate with the name “Kurjata” is large family gatherings. Christmas, weddings, Easter: when I was really young it was out on the family farm, but most of my memories are of a large custom-built house in Dawson Creek some of my uncles made for her. It was specifically designed for entertaining: a huge kitchen overlooking a second living space so that you could easily fit a full gathering, including lots of young kids running around.
We just had another family gathering. My grandmother moved out of her large home about twelve years ago, into a smaller adult living complex that once again my uncles built for her. Earlier this year it was into Rotary Manor. On July 17, 2014 she passed away there, peacefully, at the age of 84.
And so we gathered, in the church I used to attend on family visits. It was smaller than I remember, but big enough to hold my extended family – 102, according to the going count.
Grandma was devoted to her Catholic faith and spent years in service to the Catholic Women’s League. She joined the CWL in 1953 in Paradise Hill and through the years she held all the executive convener positions on the Parish, Diocesan and Provincial levels. In 1992 she was awarded her Life Membership. She loved going to the CWL conventions, loved to tell a good joke and loved her CWL sisters.
When I was a kid I didn’t think much of the family gatherings. I knew it was a big group, but beyond that I didn’t see anything special.
Today, there’s something that impresses me more than the size: the closeness. There are smaller families who refuse to be in the same room with each other for any length of time, or who just don’t make the effort, even if there’s no particular animosity.
That my grandma and grandpa raised fifteen kids who still wanted to see each other into their adult years is a testament to the kind of people they were. You have to have a certain amount of patience… and love. As one of my cousins said while looking at everyone gathered at the funeral, there was no need to talk about my grandma’s legacy. You could see it in the room.
Love you lots Grandma K…
Beloved wife to the late George Kurjata
Loving mother to Paul (Jackie) Kurjata, Frank (Arlene) Kurjata, Lou Kurjata, Tom (Marie) Kurjata, Patricia Kurjata (Tony Leach), Peter (Nancy) Kurjata, Teresa (Jim) Wasserman, Cecilia (Dave) Jones, John (Shari) Kurjata, Greg (Valerie) Kurjata, Michael (Nadia) Kurjata, Angela (Harold) Reay, Giselle (Nate) Tupper, Chris (Sarah) Kurjata and the late Mary Ann Kurjata.
Beloved grandmother to 46 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren.
Sister to Sr. Pearl Oster and Kay Sharpe and to her CWL family to which she was devoted.
Aunt to numerous nieces and nephews.
A Prayer Service was held Monday, July 21, 2014 at 7:00pm at Notre Dame Catholic Church.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 11:00am at Notre Dame Catholic Church, officiated by Father Louis Kwena.