Helash, Alice (Ciotka)

Alice (Ciotka) Helash passed away at her home, after a lengthy illness, on April 20, 2017, at the age of 89. She is finally at peace. Alice was born on November 1, 1927 on her family's farm in Fishing River, Manitoba, to Anton and Josephine (Zurba) Ciotka, two Ukrainian immigrants who came to Canada to make a better life for themselves. She was the youngest of nine children: Joseph, John, Pauline, Annie, Mary, Tina, Peter, and Helen (all, except Helen, predeceased). She received an education, to Grade 8, at Borden School and left home at the age of 17 to work in Winnipeg. A year later, she married Peter Helash, a childhood friend, at the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church in Fishing River. They were together for 54 years, until he passed away in 1999. Uninterested in farming, Peter and Alice made their way to Sudbury, to search for work. INCO was hiring and Peter got a job at the Copper Cliff Refinery where he worked until his retirement. A skilled handyman and mechanic, he built a house in the Donovan and it was there that Alice ran a neighbourhood store from 1954 to the mid-1960s, while raising four children: Florence McKee (Donald predeceased), Valerie, Gail Zembrzycki (Daniel), and Peter (Jeanette). Alice later worked, for 18.5 years, at Food City, retiring at the age of 65. She was a gifted seamstress and an avid baker who enjoyed spending time in her garden. Alice, who also went by Grandma and Baba, cherished her family - it was her greatest legacy - and loved caring for her six grandchildren - Stacey Zembrzycki (Robert), Corey McKee, Samantha Tummino (Darren), Andrew Zembrzycki, Joanna Helash (Darcy), and Melissa Carscadden (Shawn) - and seven great grandchildren - Adryan and Kaylee Heath, Skylar McKee, Anella and Amileah Zembrzycki, Nolan Carscadden, and Liliya Douglas. Her memory will continue to be a blessing for all of them. The family wishes to thank all of the caregivers and health care professionals who ensured that Alice was comfortable in her home throughout her illness. A family funeral mass was held at St. Maryís Ukrainian Catholic Church in Sudbury on April 22, 2017, and interment followed in the Civic Cemetery.