On September 18, Anna “Hanusia” Irene Grabowicz passed peacefully from this world and into the arms of her Lord and savior, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Anna was born on June 27, 1953, to Teofil and Daria Turczyn in Toronto, Canada. Anna maintained a strong connection to her Canadian Ukrainian roots through out her life. Her favorite place was her parents’ cottage at Hoverla, a Ukrainian community outside of Toronto. At Hoverla, she loved spending time with family and friends, celebrating Thanksgiving, and especially swimming in the lake.
In 1992 she married Andre Grabowicz of New York and immigrated to the U.S.. In 1994, their daughter Lida was born, who became her pride and joy. Anna took pride in volunteering in her community, and was involved in committees at Lida’s schools and at church. It was while serving as a mentor for new families at Thacher Montessori school that she met her best friend of 26 years, Sylvia.
In 2017, Anna proudly became a snowbird, and began to spend winters in Sarasota, Florida. Her years in Florida were some of the best of Anna’s life. She made many new friends and began new hobbies, such as learning Italian and attending operas.
She loved hosting friends and family at her new home and serving as a Sarasota tour guide. Anna’s next door neighbors and dear friends, Hans and Darka, were of great support to Anna throughout her illness.
To know Anna was to love her. She made friends wherever she went and had strong social networks in Boston, Toronto, and Sarasota. She was known for her kind and selfless nature, and excellent cooking and baking. Making food for others brought Anna great meaning and joy. Anna gave to others freely and frequently with no expectation of reciprocity. Anna enjoyed the simple things in life: fresh coffee every morning, laughing and dancing with family and friends, smelling flowers, listening to Ukrainian folk music, and swimming in the sunshine. Anna had a goofy sense of humor and continued to make jokes throughout her last days. It was through her battle with cancer that Anna formed two mantras: don’t sweat the small stuff and find joy in each day.
Anna is predeceased by her parents, Teofil and Daria. She is survived by her husband Andre, daughter Lida, and beloved brothers Orest (Ilona) and Roman (Libby) Turczyn. She will be deeply missed by many friends, cousins, nieces, and nephews. The family would like to thank Father Yaroslav Nalysnyk for providing prayer, comfort, and guidance to Anna. To honor Anna, remember her mantras and to give to others, even in the smallest of ways. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.
A Funeral Liturgy will be held at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church 146 Forest Hills St. Jamaica Plain on Saturday September 28, 2024 at 1 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend.