Stella Scribailo

Stella Scribailo (nee Pasnak) born near Oakshela, Saskatchewan October 30th, 1929 passed away peacefully May 13th, 2025 at the amazing age of 95.

Survived by sons David (Jane), Robin (Janet) and daughter September (Michael), grandchildren, Alison, Ryan, Dom, Jeremy and Kellen and great grandkids, James and Saria.

Predeceased by her loving husband of 70 years, Steve ( d.2020) and their eldest son Steven (d.1990).

Stella's own parents were of Ukrainian and Polish descent. She grew up in rural Saskatchewan and Winnipeg, Manitoba. She had two brothers and one sister, plus four step brothers and three step sisters. Her mother died when she was eight.

Her favourite childhood prairie memory was a year spent on her Polish grandparents farm.

She met Steve in her late teens at a soda fountain cafe in Winnipeg ( late 1940's), they were married in 1950.

She and our dad were a good match with her seriousness offset by our father’s good humour.

They lived in Winnipeg for 11 years where all four of us children were born. As they would say…they were dirt poor.

They moved to Ottawa in 1962 and bought a great little bungalow with a quarter acre lot. This move proved to be very good for them and their family.

Our mum loved reading, especially philosophy and poetry. She played piano and music wise she favoured Russian composers and the occasional folk or rock.

But her favourite thing was gardening. Their big backyard allowed my mother to develop her love of plants. She would spend hours pouring over seed catalogs and gardening books each winter planning her next garden bed. She grew vegetables and flowers and created beautiful perrenial beds in what was a blank slate to her imagination. It was lovely. This made her happy.

Our mother was of the generation (as this was the 1960's) of women who were the first to work outside the home and not be defined solely as ‘housewife’.

She went to college and learnt, dictation, stenography and typing. This allowed her to enter the workforce and earn a living. From there she continued gaining administrative skills and employment for various federal government departments, Secretary of State and the Dept. of Finance. She did that for 20 years. She was proud of this.

Our mother was very good at listening and being caring of others. She was practical and intelligent.

Many of our childhood friends were supported by her steady presence.

She had endured a very difficult upbringing with multiple life tragedies, yet she had an inner strength that was not to be messed with. She put much energy into being generous and kind.

On multiple occasions she stood up to bullying behaviour and the expression would be ‘she did not suffer fools lightly’.

Our mum was a beautiful woman who never asked for much. She was a loner, could be cynical and occasionally harsh. But one had to admire her resilience and her groundedness. If you needed a straight answer she'd give it to you. This was often appreciated. She was a good mum.

She was known to be a good cook. At Christmas she relished having her family all together. She would spoil us with presents and cook us yummy Eastern European food, as we laughed and enjoyed our families wry humour.

Stella, our mum will be cremated and her pretty urn placed with our father's at Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.

She will be deeply missed.

May she rest in peace and power.