Our beloved mother, Zdeňka Pavel (née Jarolímová) passed peacefully at sunrise on Michaelmas, at the age of 83. The symbolism of this day means a person leaves earth under the watch of Heaven’s greatest defender, ensuring the safe passage for the soul as they cross over.

Mom was born on March 10, 1943, in Ďáblice, just outside Prague, to Oldřich and Juliana, at a time when the Nazi occupation reached even the language of her birth certificate. Baptized in secret, she learned early the courage, discretion, and resourcefulness that would serve her for the rest of her life. Through the war and the Soviet years that followed, she never lost her sense of humour or her pride in her Bohemian and Moravian roots.

From the age of four, Zdeňka spent every summer travelling alone by train to her beloved Maternal Bubi in the Moravian countryside. There she learned to cook, bake, and care for others, and became an expert at escaping her chores and covering her tracks. She kept that skill even through the fog of dementia, to the equal amusement and concern of her family. Her advice never changed: “Whatever you do, don’t get caught.”

A middle child and only daughter, she was responsible with getting her younger brother, Ota, to school on time and properly dressed. She considered him her ‘spratek,’ her little brat, but their adventures along the way became stories the two of them laughed over for the rest of their lives.

In 1959, Zdeňka met Jiří Pavel in a doorway at work. From that instant grew a sixty-year adventurous love story. They married in Karlštejn in 1966 and endured the restrictions of communism until 1968, when they made their way from Karlovy Vary to Vienna, slipped past the reach of the secret police, and made a daring bid for freedom at the Canadian embassy.

They arrived in Montréal in the late 1968 and settled in Toronto, where, armed with determination and a dictionary, they learned a new language and rebuilt their lives. Through integration and the supportive Czech community, they became self-made and raised their children, Daniel and Yvonne to be industrious and self reliant.

Family was the centre of Zdeňka’s life. Her love was steadfast, practical, and deeply felt, shown through food, stories, traditions, advice, and countless quiet acts of care. She filled her home with Czech culture and fine arts, literature, language, music, and storytelling; and through sailing, skiing, skateboarding and tennis, she quietly taught her children grit, independence, and the value of freedom. She wanted them to have and understand the value of every opportunity, and to know history from those that had lived it.

Music was the soul of the home. Jiří, a gifted musician, artist and true renaissance man, was usually by her side, and the music they shared connected them to home, to memory, and to each other. In the late 1990s, they fulfilled a long-held dream of living in the United States. Bluegrass and jazz communities of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sparked a newfound purpose. Zdeňka dedicated herself to volunteering at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library; curating exhibits, translating newly released Soviet-era archives, and choosing Czech films for movie nights, with selections thoughtfully chosen between topics of alchemy and the search for the soul’s purpose.

In retirement, they put their final roots on Vancouver Island. Another dream fulfilled in the early 2000s, and to be closer to their adult children. They wintered in Arizona, traded RVs and boats, sailed the North West Pacific, and gathered family around them whenever they could.

Some of Zdeňka’s greatest expressions of love were at the kitchen table, through traditional three-course meals, often ending with her unforgettable apple strudel, and a card game of Žoliky. Her cooking won over Daniel’s partner, Tanya, and Yvonne’s husband, Mark, from the start, and she loved them both as her own. These times are fond remembrances of how she gathered people close and carried traditions forward.

She was gentle, but not without fire. Her family learned to be wary of her disapproval, which could arrive as a vivid string of multilingual swear words, remembered with laughter once the danger had passed. And what a laugh she had: authentic, generous, and unmistakable, drawing in everyone nearby, even those who had missed the beginning of the story. She was often at her funniest when being mischievous, a little irreverent, or pretending innocence.

In 2019, Zdeňka and Jiří’s love story came to a temporary pause when Jiří died of cancer, cared for at home by his family. Although she was diagnosed with dementia in 2013, Zdeňka continued to enjoy long walks, hikes, sailing, music, shared laughter, and to marvel at the whimsy and wonder of her three grandchildren, Alva, Ella, and Sebastian. Even as the illness changed how she experienced the world, love reached her in ways words and memory sometimes could not. As her dementia progressed, she moved to Oakville, where she received exceptional care at Chartwell Waterford.

When asked about reconciling leaving home and the hardships it imprinted, she often said, “You can will yourself to forget. You can erase it from your mind.” Her family suspects she would now gladly contradict her own advice, for it is in remembering what formed you, and how you met those challenges that forms your gift of self and purpose. The gift of the past 15 years has been about embracing the moment, finding patience, and living with laughter and gentleness. Her true nature never abandoned.

Zdeňka is predeceased by her beloved Jiřičku, her parents, and her older brother, Olda; her dogs, Tarby and Sunny. Her family extends heartfelt gratitude to Leanne, Richard, Angelo, Susan, Angela, Katrina, Sylvia, Nancy, Kemore, Prince, Komal, Angel, Rose, and the many others who brought comfort, dignity, and companionship to her final years and support to her family navigating the longest goodbye. Zdeňka is survived by her children Daniel (Tanya), Yvonne (Mark), and her grandchildren, Alva, Ella, and Sebastian; her brother Ota (Hannah), niece (Hanička), nephew (Michael).

She will be remembered for her great laugh, courage and curiosity, her love of music and the arts, her beauty, her legendary meals, her mischievous advice, and the deep tenderness with which she loved her family. The song may have ended, but her melody remains. Her family finds comfort in knowing Zdeňka is home at last, at peace, and eternally reunited with her beloved Jiříčku.

Visitation will take place at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville, on Sunday, October 4, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a private cremation to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Ian Anderson House Foundation, whose work helps ease the burden on families in need of hospice care.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” – Psalm 116:15

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have.” – Eckhart Tolle