
Marianna SZCZEPANSKA
Marianna Szczepanska was born on 8 October 1928 in Poland. At the young age of 12 years, she and her family were forcibly taken from their home and put on a goods train bound for a work camp in Siberia. During this journey both parents and her brother and two sisters died, leaving her an orphan. Marianna spent the next 2 years in a Russian orphanage.
In 1942 she evacuated to Persia (now Iran) with the Polish army that was formed in the southern USSR. She spent some months in India before setting sail for the Kolonia Santa Rosa in Mexico where she spent the next four years. During these four years Marianna was a caregiver to the younger children of the orphanage.
In 1946 a group of nuns from Chicago travelled to Santa Rosa to sponsor some of the children to further their education in the USA. Marianna went to Chicago to attend the convent school there. On a visit to her best friend (Stella) in Winnipeg, Marianna was introduced to Edward Szczepanski. They were married on 7 August 1952, and started their family in Winnipeg.
Marianna was employed in the garment industry until she started her family in 1956, returning to work after her children started school. After retirement, she spent countless hours at the cottage which the family built in 1974, gardening and picking the bounties of the forest. She was an excellent cook and homemaker.
Marianna spent a huge part of her time at the Polish Veterans Association Branch # 13, running the weekly bingo and a variety of events hosted by the Polish Club. She was a long-standing member of St. John Cantius' Church, as well as an active member of the St. John's Seniors Club.
Marianna passed away in Winnipeg on 4 August 2015 at the age of 87 years. She was buried at the Holy Ghost Cemetery.
Copyright: Szczepanski family