Mary Ann Junek

Mary Ann passed away peacefully in her sleep at 2:08 am at the Regina General Hospital on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021. She was 84 years old.

She will be remembered for her welcoming smile and hearty laugh. She was a real firecracker and was as genuine and authentic as anyone could be! She loved to be teased so she could dish it right back!! Mary Ann was loved by her family, and she loved them back. She loved the simple things in life and always made the best with what she had.

Mary Ann was born on April 22, 1937 as the 3rd child to John and Annie (Revesz) Dlouhy on the family farm SW of Esterhazy. Here, she and her two brothers Ernie and Lawrence were raised. As a little girl she attended the nearby Esterhaz school, but after a few years her and Lawrence stayed at their Grandma Dlouhy’s in Esterhazy where they went to public school. The school was located where the Town Office is presently.

When Mary Ann got a little older, she worked at the post office in Esterhazy and then in 1957 after she started dating Donnie Junek, she began working with him at his sign shop. She loved working along his side and had many laughs with the crew working there. Even near the end she liked updates from her son Kelly on the work he was doing at the sign shop. She said once it’s in you it’s in you!!

Donnie and Mary Ann also shared the love of music. Donnie was a fantastic musician and his bands “The Harmony Boys” and later “The Moods Indigo” played almost every weekend for over 40 years. Mary Ann’s brother Lawrence was a member for over 30 years, and she loved all their music and danced as much as she could. In 1960 the “Valley Social Club” dances began at Maple Grove Resort, Round Lake. Mary Ann served tables at the beginning and in the later years bartended. She knew what everyone drank and had their drinks waiting for them when they arrived. Donnie played at these dances almost every weekend so she got in as many dances as she could. She loved soaring around the dance floor. These were some of the best times they shared together. They had many friends at the “club” and so many great memories were made!!  One time after a dance Mary Ann got brave and went on stage and sang “The Talk of the Town”, with Donnie accompanying her on keyboard. No one knew she could sing so they all applauded after. These dances carried on for over 40 years and Mary Ann worked at them till the end.

After a long courtship Donnie and Mary Ann got married on July 3rd, 1967. Soon they were blessed with two children, son Kelly and daughter Deanna. Mary Ann was a stay at home mom. She loved being home with the kids and seeing them grow up.  She also loved the outdoors, being outside in her garden and tending to her flowers. She had a massive garden with 400 hills of potatoes to keep the family fed till the next season. Picking saskatoons was also a favourite time of year for her. She would find saskatoon patches on the farm and pick pails full of berries. Which leads to her baking expertise. Mary Ann was a great baker making pies, dinner buns and her most famous Hungarian Torte Cake. She even sold baking at local farmers markets in the area in the mid 1980’s.

When Kelly and Deanna got a little older Mary Ann worked at the steak pit at the Plus 2 Motor Hotel in Esterhazy. She loved dealing with the customers. Her personality was very uplifting, and she could talk to anyone and always make them smile. She also made some very good friends while working there. As time went on soon the kids were gone, and Mary Ann started going for coffee regularly. The coffee gang met about 3 times a week for a lot of years. She loved going out and visiting with the women.

In 2004 Donnie and Mary Ann moved to Stockholm. Here they lived a good, retired life although Donnie still worked at the sign shop as much as he could, and Mary Ann still had a garden in town for a few years until her mobility got progressively worse. In 2008 Mary Ann and her daughter Deanna began to go on holidays together. This was a delight for both of them. Mary Ann hadn’t been a lot of places and Deanna wanted her to see as much of North America as she could. That year they flew to Las Vegas and toured around Arizona and Nevada. She loved gambling so trips always had to be planned around a casino or two. In 2009 Mary Ann’s life changed as Donnie passed away. She was a trooper and took it in stride. After that Mary Ann and Deanna travelled more. Some of the best times Mary Ann had were on the road. As soon as they left on a holiday they’d say “yippeee we’re on holidays!!” The most memorable trip was drive down through the Western USA. They saw Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park in Utah, then saw Donnie and Marie in Las Vegas and finally were in attendance at the Price is Right in Beverly Hills CA. Mary Ann reminisced about their trips to the end.

In 2018 Mary Ann moved to Esterhazy. She lived in her apartment until June 2021 when her health began to fail.

Mary Ann is survived by her son Kelly (Carrie) and daughter Deanna (Stu), and sister in law Leona Dlouhy plus numerous nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband Donnie, her parents John and Annie Dlouhy, her in laws Frank and Rosie Junek & siblings Ernie and Lawrence.