It is with profound sadness that Lida’s family announces her shocking and sudden passing at the age of 67, in her home in Truro, Nova Scotia, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. We are heart broken.
Left to hold her memory close and in their safekeeping are sister, Sonia Tyhonchuk and brother-in-law, Bruce Kaufman of Calgary, Alberta; cherished first cousins and honourary "sisters", Helen Rojenko (Jerry) of Beamsville, Ontario and Orysia Lysyk (George) of Oshawa, Ontario; first cousin-in-law, Lucy Bourak of Beamsville, Ontario; "nieces" and "nephews", Luba (Brett and James, Matthew), Larissa (Jim), Gregory (also godson), Peter, Justina, Anton; family in Germany, (Aunt Halia and Andrij, Orest); family in Belarus and Ukraine; her extended and extensive MacKay in-laws in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta, and North West Territories. She was predeceased by her loving husband, David; parents, Olga and Mocey; uncles, Nicholas and Peter; aunt, Mary and first cousin, Andrey.
Lida lived her life without looking back and without regrets. She didn’t (in her words) "live large", and enjoyed the simple pleasures of her gardens, her art, her kitchen, her crafts, and most of all the adventure of driving along country roads to find and follow unmarked laneways to discover what awaited her at the end. She took immense pleasure and pride in always giving and doing her best, whether it was in her almost 40 year career at Kholtech, preparing a feast for family and friends, or stacking a cord of wood just so. She was independent, determined, brave, and stubborn, but mostly in a good way. She was also smart, funny, generous, and kind. She loved to laugh and hated to "sit around". She was a 5’2" dynamo, always planning or dreaming of where life would take her next. Her energy could be exhausting but she was learning the art of slowing down…at least a little bit.
Lida’s care has been entrusted to Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home and we thank them for their caring, kindness, and professional attention to our loved one. As per Lida’s wishes cremation has taken place. The family will receive friends from 2-4 pm on Saturday, November 25, 2023 at Mattatall-Varner Funeral Home, 55 Young Street, Truro.
While private scatterings of her ashes will take place in her beloved Nova Scotia and her intended new home of Alberta, Lida’s Southern Ontario family and friends will gather to celebrate a life well lived sometime during the Spring/Summer of 2024, at which time Lida will also be reunited with her parents at St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Cemetery in Oakville, Ontario.
Lida would understand our sadness but would want us to grieve her loss then move forward and live our best lives. This is what she tried to do, so to honour her memory, please consider an act of personal wellness:
Do that one ‘special’ thing for yourself that you’ve been putting off. Then do another ‘special’ thing…and another…and another…
Reach out and reconnect with someone who brings you joy and you care about but haven’t talked to or seen in a while.
Commit to being a little more active and leading a healthier lifestyle…small steps.
Take time at the end of each day to remind yourself that whatever you accomplished (or didn’t) was enough.
Look around…you’re surrounded by an astoundingly wondrous natural world…explore it.
Make memories with the special people in your life.
In lieu of flowers, plant some seeds in the Spring and watch them grow and flourish. Admire their beauty or eat them! For those who wish, a memorial gift to the Heart and Stroke Foundation in your community would be appropriate and very much appreciated.
Sonia and Bruce wish to extend sincere and heartfelt thanks to Lydia’s Maritimes community - family, friends, colleagues, neighbours - who looked out for our sister and are now looking out for us as we navigate this journey we are on. Special thanks to Tim, Norma, and Elizabeth.
"Bye, Lida.
I hope you found your place at the table.
Forever in my heart and with all my love and gratitude,
your Baby Sister."