Obituary: Horobiowski, Elizabeth “Elsie/Elsa”
Age 94
Born Katy Lopatniuk on April 8, 1919, in Philadelphia, PA, Elsa entered peacefully into heaven on October 7, 2013.
She was the third child of five born to Konstantine (Kosta) and Mary Lopatniuk.
Although raised in the Ukraine from the age of six following the untimely death of her mother, Elsa returned to the United States after WWII with her husband Iwan (John), whom she met and married in Ludwigsburg, Germany, along with their daughter, Irene.
After living and working on a farm for a short time in North Dakota, she has been a resident of Spokane for over 60 years and a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Parish for over 50 years.
Elsa was mostly a homemaker and housekeeper but also worked for Gonzaga University for 16 years, retiring in 1987.
Throughout her life she enjoyed cooking, gardening, traveling, knitting, and crocheting, making gifts for family and friends, and especially loved spending time with her children and their families.
Her family was her life accomplishment.
Her life, character, and personality were shaped by the historic events of her generation, as well as the hardships that she experienced.
She overcame many challenges and difficulties in her life, but always made the best of what she had, learning how to knit and crochet on her own and learning how to speak five different languages.
Her life mantra was “you must take what comes”, and she lived by example.
Although dementia robbed her mind of her precious memories and relationships in her latter years, her stories and memories that she was able to share prior to her disease will be a part of us forever and a part of her legacy.
In heaven, she is joined by her parents, all of her siblings: Ann, Andy, Maria and Anastasia, a son-in-law, Matti, and her husband of 41 years.
She is survived by her six children and their spouses: Irene Niemela; Steve; Leo (Pum); John (Lavonne); Ted (Rhonda); and Elizabeth [Lisa] (Curtis) Nelson; 12 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews both in the United States and abroad.
She will forever be remembered as strong, loving, and practical, and as someone who always put the needs of her family above her own.
She will be missed by everyone who truly knew her and knew her love.
May you rest in peace our dear mother and grandma.
Your love and life are never truly gone but will live on in our hearts and our memories forever.
We love you unconditionally and will miss you deeply.
You live on beneath everything we do.
Your presence influenced who we were and your absence will continue to influence who we are.
May God bless you and hold you in his arms forever.
Vigil services will be Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 7pm and will be conducted at The Jesuit House Chapel, behind St. Aloysius Church.
Funeral Mass will be Wednesday, October 16, 2013 at 10am and will be celebrated at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 330 E. Boone, Spokane.
Private committal will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery.
To honor her love of children, please consider a charitable donation in her memory to the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery or a charity of your choice.
John 14:27-29 “I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.
If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is
greater than I am.
I have told you these things before they happen
so that when they do, you will believe in me.
“
Arrangements have been entrusted to: