BARRHEAD – Over 50 people gathered at the Seniors Drop-in Center on June 14 to celebrate Lydia Bobke’s 100th birthday, coming near and far to honour this very special lady.
“She's a cornerstone and a pillar in our church for years,” said Delbert Kreiger, who is Bobke’s son Arthur’s friend from school days.
Letters of best wishes were received and read at the party from Prime Minister Mark Carney, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Salma Lakhani and M.L.A. Glenn Van Dijken.
Linda Andrews, Bobke’s daughter, introduced family members and shared Bobke’s incredible story of immigration to Canada.
Bobke lived in a little area of the world called Volhynia which was part of Poland when Bobke was growing up but is now part of Ukraine.
She was 14 years old when her mother died and the war was raging. Hitler and Stalin made a pact that they would invade Poland and Hitler wanted his Germans back in the country.
German officials came to the home Bobke was living in and told Bobke and her brothers to be at the train station with only one wagon of things.
They were transported to the other side of Poland and then on to Germany where they were expected to farm and feed the war effort without their belongings.
Her two brothers were drafted into the German army.
Bobke was 15 years old, alone with her brothers off to war, her dad had taken off somewhere and her mother had recently died.
She ended up working in a kindergarten, then was trained with the Red Cross.
She was working as a post mistress until the mail stopped and worked rationing out supplies.
Bobke was even involved in marrying somebody.
Her war years were spent there where she made contact with her brother Edmund, who lived in Edmonton, and they sent her money.
Bobke exchanged the money and kept it hidden on her person.
She went to the market one day and got on a train going through Warsaw to Berlin.
Bobke spent another couple of years in Germany and made her way to Canada in 1947 after being sponsored by her two brothers and sisters that had immigrated earlier.
She travelled over the ocean and across Canada all by herself not knowing the language.
Bobke’s aunt Emma was in Winnipeg and bought her a coat and a decent pair of shoes when Bobke arrived.
She met a handsome bachelor, Arnold, and started her family in Alberta.
Raising a family and keeping the household with no power or running water was hard.
They did attend church weekly and being a faithful Christian was central to her life.
Bobke never got to go back to her childhood home.
Andrews described Bobke as resilient, thoughtful, generous, and loving.
“100 years of memories and now we are adding some more. Mama you are a blessing,” said Andrews.
Ken and Carol Shade couldn’t attend but sent a card and letter.
“The first Sunday we attended church we were treated like family by the Bobkes to the extent of being included in family gatherings.”
They have many precious memories of time spent together over delicious meals, fishing and hunting trips as well as blueberry and cranberry picking.
Kerry Bloom, Bobke’s niece, sang a few lovely songs at the event, acknowledging Bobke as someone with the biggest smile and being exceptionally supportive.
Ernest Schultz, whose wife was Bobke’s niece, said Bobke helped them get started in their marriage by giving them items to get their house set up.
He sings and plays the mandolin and harmonica for Mrs. Bobke at Hillcrest Lodge with a musical group.
Shirley Meier was in attendance with her daughter, Lori, and she and the Bobke’s were neighbours for many years.
Bobke’s place was full of flowers, and the food was wonderful said Betty Rentz, whose parents were friends with the Bobkes.
