It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Halina Irena Zarzecka, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, who passed away peacefully in Calgary, Alberta, at the age of 98 years.
Halina was born on March 30, 1927, in Warsaw, Poland. She grew up in a loving home with her parents and younger brother Jurek, enjoying a happy childhood filled with literature, the arts, and a spirited dislike for mathematics – a subject that would later ironically lead her to her first love, Tadeusz, her math tutor and future husband.
A survivor of the Second World War, Halina endured the tragic loss of both her parents as a teenager and assumed the role of caregiver to her younger brother. Despite these hardships, she persevered with grace and strength, later pursuing higher education in economics and business administration.
Halina and Tadeusz married and raised two children, Jan and Margaret, in post-war Poland, creating a warm and loving home during a time of national hardship. She held a long and successful career as the administrative director at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Outside of work, Halina enjoyed reading, travel, and adventurous motorcycle trips with her husband.
After many years of marriage, Halina and Tadeusz divorced – a difficult time in her life that she met with quiet strength. She later remarried and moved to Birmingham, England, to live with her second husband, William Raps, a Polish pilot who had served in the Royal Air Force during WWII. Though their marriage only lasted a few years before ending in divorce, Halina embraced this chapter with courage and grace, even learning English and adapting to a new culture.
She eventually returned to Warsaw, and not long after, moved to Nigeria with her daughter Margaret and son-in-law Thomas, to help raise her two grandsons, John and Adam. Halina later settled in Vancouver, Canada, where she continued to play an active role in the lives of her grandchildren and immersed herself in the local Polish community at the Kopernik Lodge. She loved going to the theatre, decorating, hosting social gatherings, and making regular visits back to Poland.
In her later years, Halina moved to Calgary to be close to her daughter. She spent her final years in the loving care of the Brenda Strafford Foundation.
Halina will be remembered for her strength, elegance, deep intelligence, and unwavering devotion to her family. She is survived by her daughter, Margaret; her grandchildren, John, Adam, Peter, Paul; and eight great-grandchildren, Noah, Brian, Claire, Hannah, Steven, Julia, Moriah and Sawyer.
A Service will be held on Wednesday April 23, 2025, at 2pm with a short reception to follow at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish (2111 Uxbridge Dr. N.W., Calgary, AB).
To view and share photos, condolences and memories of Halina with the family, please visit www.choicememorial.com.
