April 1, 1932-April 11, 2020
Our mother and beloved wife of Joseph Fesko, Lillian Fesko, of Sault Ste. Marie, passed away on April 11, 2020 at the age of 88 from dementia.
Mom was born in Sault Ste. Marie to Joseph Ravlich and Lukra (Aracic) Ravlich, the youngest of five daughters. She spent her early years with her sisters on James Street, raised by their oldest sister Angela, while her mother was away recovering from tuberculosis. Through her early years she developed a lifelong bond with her sisters.
She attended Sault Tech and worked at restaurants in the Soo and Toronto until she was married in 1953. While Dad worked shift work at Algoma Steel, mom stayed home to look after the four of us and our uncle George. She returned to work in the 1960’s at S.S. Kresge Company where she ran the lunch counter. Later, she worked as a custodian for the Algoma District School Board until her retirement. Our home was filled daily with sisters, cousins and friends who would sit, drink coffee, and eat while they solved all the problems in their world. Mom loved to cook and bake and taught us how to cook. At times, four pies in one day might not be enough. She wrote down all of her recipes for us although the recipes lacked the precision we needed and were based mostly on her feel for the amounts required. Mom loved to hear from her family no matter where they lived. She was a devoted mother and we are grateful for that.
Mom was proud of her Croatian heritage and visited the birthplaces of her parents in Brac and Slivno, Croatia.
Over the past few years, her dementia slowly started to take her away from us. While at the FJ Davey Home, mom had daily visits from Dad, Mark and Lucy to help her eat and to advocate for her. Her niece Eileen and husband Ron visited often to sit and talk.
Mom will be missed dearly by her loving husband Joseph of 67 years; son Paul, daughter Lucy Hoffman (Ken), son Mark (Johanne) and sister Mary Wos. She was proud Baba of Lauren and Kayley Fesko; Kristen, Mark and Kyle Hoffman; Neill Fesko; and Sarah Fabbro. Mom also had three great grandchildren and had the chance to meet all three; Owen and Aiden Mendes; and Hayden Martineau. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her daughter Nancy Fesko-Fabbro (Dave) in 2017; her parents; and sisters Angela, Josephine and Verginia.
The family wishes to express a heartfelt thanks to the staff at the FJ Davey Home, Apple Orchard 1, PSW's, RPN's, support staff, Doctors and NPs and those who contributed to her care through the last 20 months. We would especially like to thank Dr. Apostle for her kindness and compassion. We appreciate all of you.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alzheimer Society, Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma District, 341 Trunk Rd., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 3S9 Phone 705-942-2195
The current situation makes it impossible to hold a service at this time. Once we are past the social isolation the virus requires, we will be announcing a date for a celebration of life. Arrangements entrusted to O'Sullivan Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 215 St. James St, 705-759-8456.