elevated 1riAr January 8, 1944 – June 13, 2023

elevated 1riAr Visitation

elevated 1riAr Saturday, June 24, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Catholic Cremation Services Chapel
6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5T1N4

elevated 1riAr Funeral Service
Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.
Catholic Cremation Services Chapel
6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5T1N4

elevated 1riAr Entombment
Assumption Catholic Cemetery
6933 Tomken Road, Mississauga, Ontario 

elevated 1riAr Obituary

elevated 1riAr Maria  (Stimac ) Erent  was born  January  8, 1944 in  Zakrajac, (Gorski Kotar),  Croatia. She was the oldest daughter of Antun Stimac and Andelka Stimac (nee Stimac) who were both distant cousins.  Maria was 6 months short of her 80th birthday. This year marks the  60th anniversary of her arrival to Thunder Bay formerly  ( Port Arthur)  Ontario Canada where she married Dragutin Erent March  23, 1963. Her daughter Josipa (Josephine) Angela  Erent was born the following year March 19, 1964 and christened at St. Andrew’s Church, Thunder Bay Ontario. Josipa Angela Erent is the oldest granddaughter of the Stimac Family. The young couple moved to Toronto in 1965. That same year, their second daughter Mirjana Erent was born on December 16, 1965 at Toronto General Hospital. 

elevated 1riAr Maria (Stimac) Erent was a very kind, generous and determined individual. When she set her mind on a certain goal, she would not let obstacles get in her way.  She was also an open minded risk taker who  believed Canada would provide a better future for herself and her future husband.  She died in her sleep on June 13, 2023 in Mississauga Ontario Canada. She is survived by her daughter  Josipa ( Josie)  Erent and Mirjana Erent and Maria’s  2nd husband William Showkowy. She is survived  also by her younger  3 sisters  Stefanija (Stimac) Racki , Danica  (Stimac) Kovac and  Andelka   (Stimac) Turk Turnbull.  Her older brother Antun Stimac died of Colon Cancer in  2009.  Marija (Stimac) Erent is sadly missed by her sisters, cousins, daughters, nieces and nephews  of the   Stimac / Erent families .  Despite their divorce, Maria and her ex husband  Drago  maintained an amicable relationship for the sake of their 2 daughters.  The family has recently discovered through Ancestry research,  that our  parents  are distant cousins through their mothers  (Bukovac) (Merle).

elevated 1riAr Maria was a determined individual who believed that anything was possible with  hard work, education, persistence and street smarts.  She did not have time  or patience for people who  made excuses or told lies.  She  was a very  influential  role  model for her daughters and her family. You could not have asked for a better mother or a kinder aunt!!! She loved animals,  cooking, gardening, traveling ,  dancing ( waltz, polka) talking and yes laughing !!  She loved watching  old movies featuring Rock Hudson and Doris Day.  She was a  festive person who enjoyed the holidays including Easter, New Years Day and Christmas.  She was  a talented cook and baker skilled in traditional  Croatian  Austro-Hungarian Cuisine. She frequently  prepared wonderful  dishes and baked goods such as Strudel, Walnut Roll ( Orahnajaca), and Chicken Paprikas with ease .  She canned her own  pickles and peppers, and made homemade jams. She was a wonderful  hostess who enjoyed entertaining guests and relatives and yes her own family.

elevated 1riAr My sister and I spent a lot of time visiting our  mother in Mississauga, Ontario her home.  She always had interesting stories to talk about her family including her Stimac Grandparents. She loved her father Antun Stimac very much who was very intelligent and highly respected by friends, relatives and the Gorski Kotar Croatian Community alike .  She  also had a very good relationship with her Mother-in-Law Julijana (Merle) Erent Jelenc who gave her some marital advice to the young bride. She was also well liked by her Sister-in-Law Marica (Erent) Dulmin who together would share friendly conversations. Her final wish was that her talented, beautiful daughters would become closer and spend more time together. Her wish has become true. She certainly was not shy about expressing her opinions.  She worked over 30 years at Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto) first as a cleaner and then as a Nurses Aid. She enjoyed working at the hospital where she was well liked and respected as a dedicated employee with a strong work ethic. Her favorite hospital department was the  Mount Sinai Nursery Department where new parents and grandparents would view newborn babies.  She met through work Katie Grobin . Katie Grobin and her husband John Grobin  became good family friends.  Our parents  were chosen as son Danny Grobin’s godparents. The birth of Danny Grobin was a happy, proud  day for the Grobin and Erent families.

elevated 1riAr The family invites friends, family, neighbours, colleagues for a  public viewing  Saturday  June 24, 2023, from  10 am and  11 am (morning) followed by a Funeral Service at  Assumption Cemetery at 6933 Tomken Road,  Mississauga, Ontario,  Canada. She will be laid to rest in the new Mausoleum.  More details will be provided through the Funeral home.  Tea, coffee and refreshments will be provided to guests attending the viewing.  Committal prayers will be also held on Assumption Cemetery as well (same location).

elevated 1riAr Our  family would like to celebrate her life and share precious memories with everyone who knew Marija (Stimac) Erent.  In lieu of flowers, our family kindly suggests  two  options to honour her life. Option 1:  Donation in her name to St. Andrews Church, Thunder Bay, Ontario : www.standrewrc.ca.   Option  2:   A  donation to www.onetreeplanted.org in her name. This is a reforestation donation fund involving planting of trees in locations of choice around the world.

elevated 1riAr  In Croatia, there will be church mass held by Stimac family  at Turkovski Parish in Zakrajac, Croatia.  All Croatian and Slovenian  relatives and extended family (Stimac, Erent, Bukovac, Merle, Tomac, Malnar, Svab, Muhvic) are welcome to pay their respects. The  Stimac  sisters will be planting various types of fruit trees  (8) including a walnut tree. These trees will be planted in memory of their sister on the Stimac  Zakrajac, (Gorski Kotar)  Croatian  family farm  where she was  born and raised.

elevated 1riAr Maria had many relatives and distant cousins all over the world including United States, Canada, France, Germany,  Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Australia. All are welcome to contact the family through the funeral home,  Facebook and Ancestry.com.  Please provide appropriate contact information including  the following:  telephone number, email, Facebook account. Please allow 72 hours response time from the family.  Overseas calls  are to be made through Viber and  Whatsapp to avoid long distance charges.  There will be a  virtual book of condolences provided to all friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to write down their personal condolences. 

elevated 1riAr As we bid farewell to Maria (Stimac) Erent, let us cherish the memories she has left us and celebrate her life together.  Let her spirit of love and kindness and generosity live on!!!

elevated 1riAr MARIA (STIMAC) ERENT OBITUARY TRANSLATED IN CROATIAN LANGUAGE:

Maria (Štimac ) Erent rođena je 8. siječnja 1944. u Zakrajcu, (Gorski Kotar), Hrvatska. Bila je najstarija kći Antun Grgur Štimac i Anđelke Štimac (rođ. Štimac) koji su oboje bili dalji rođaci. Mariji je do 80. rođendana nedostajalo 6 mjeseci. Ove godine obilježava se 60. godišnjica njezina dolaska u Thunder Bay nekadašnji (Port Arthur) Ontario, Kanada gdje se udala za Dragutin Erent 23. ožujka 1963. Njezina kći Josipa (Josephine) Angela Erent rođena je sljedeće godine, 19. ožujka 1964. i krštena u St. Crkva Andrije, Thunder Bay, Ontario KANADA. Josipa Angela Erent najstarija je unuka obitelji Štimac.

Maria (Štimac) Erent bila je vrlo ljubazna, velikodušna i odlučna osoba. Kad bi si postavila neki cilj, nije dopuštala preprekama da joj stanu na put. Također je bila otvorena za rizike i vjerovala je da će Kanada osigurati bolju budućnost za nju i njenog budućeg muža. Umrla je u snu 13. lipnja 2023. u Mississaugi, Ontario, Kanada. Iza sebe je ostavila kćer Josipu ( Josie) Erent i Mirjanu Erent te Marijin 2. suprug William Showkowy. Iza nje su ostale i mlađe 3 sestre Stefanija (Štimac) Rački , Danica (Štimac) Kovač i Andelka (Štimac) Turk Turnbull. Njezin stariji brat Antun Štimac umro je od raka debelog crijeva 2009. godine. Marija (Štimac) Erent nažalost nedostaje njezinim sestrama, rođacima, kćerima, nećakinjama i nećacima obitelji Štimac / Erent. Unatoč razvodu, Maria i njezin bivši suprug Drago zadržali su prijateljski odnos zbog svoje 2 kćeri. Obitelj je nedavno otkrila istraživanjem predaka, da su naši roditelji dalji rođaci po majci (Bukovac) (Merle).

Maria je bila odlučna osoba koja je vjerovala da je sve moguće uz naporan rad, obrazovanje, upornost i uličnu pamet. Nije imala vremena ni strpljenja za ljude koji su se opravdavali ili govorili laži. Bila je vrlo utjecajan uzor svojim kćerima i svojoj obitelji. Nisi mogao poželjeti bolju majku ili ljubazniju tetu!!! Voljela je životinje, kuhati, vrtlariti, putovati, plesati (valcer, polka) pričati i da se smijati!! Voljela je gledati stare filmove u kojima su glumili Rock Hudson i Doris Day. Bila je vesela osoba koja je uživala u praznicima uključujući Uskrs, Novu godinu i Božić. Bila je talentirana kuharica i pekarica, vješta u tradicionalnoj hrvatskoj austrougarskoj kuhinji.Često je s lakoćom pripremala divna jela i peciva kao što su štrudle, orahnajače i pileće paprike. Sama je konzervirala kisele krastavce i paprike i pravila domaće džemove. Bila je divna domaćica koja je uživala zabavljati goste i rodbinu i da svoju obitelj.

Moja sestra i ja provele smo puno vremena posjećujući našu majku u Mississauga Ontario, njezinom domu. Uvijek je imala zanimljive priče za ispričati o svojoj obitelji, uključujući baku i djeda Štimca. Jako je voljela svog oca Antun Grgur Štimac koji je bio vrlo inteligentan i vrlo cijenjen od prijatelja, rodbine i goranske Hrvatske zajednice. U dobrim odnosima imala je i svoju svekrvu Julijanu (Merle) Erent Jelenc koja je mladoj nevjesti davala bračne savjete. Također ju je voljela njezina šogorica Marica (Erent) Dulmin koje su zajedno vodile prijateljske razgovore. Posljednja joj je želja bila da se njezine talentirane prelijepe kćeri zbliže i provode više vremena zajedno. Želja joj se ostvarila. Svakako se nije sramila izraziti svoje mišljenje. Radila je više od 30 godina u bolnici Mount Sinai (Toronto)Kanada prvo kao čistačica, a potom kao medicinska sestra. Uživala je radeći u bolnici gdje je bila voljena i poštovana kao predana zaposlenica sa snažnom radnom etikom. Njezin omiljeni bolnički odjel bio je dječji vrtić gdje su se nalazili novi očevi i bake i djedovi bi gledali i pozdravljali novorođene bebe. Upoznala je preko posla Katie Grobin . Katie Grobin i njezin suprug John Grobin koji su oboje postali dobri obiteljski prijatelji. Naši su roditelji izabrani za kumove sinu Danny Grobin. Rođenje Danny Grobin bio je sretan i ponosan dan za obitelj Grobin i Erent.

Naša obitelj želi proslaviti njezin život i podijeliti dragocjene uspomene sa svima koji su poznavali Marija (Štimac) Erent. Umjesto cvijeća, naša obitelj ljubazno predlaže dvije mogućnosti u čast njezinog života. Opcija 1: Donacija u njezino ime crkvi St. Andrews, Thunder Bay, Ontario: www.standrewrc.ca. Opcija 2: Donacija www.onetreeplanted.org u njeno ime Ovo je donacijski fond za pošumljavanje koji uključuje sadnju drveća.

U Hrvatskoj će misu održati obitelj Štimac u župi Turkovski u Zakrajcu Hrvatska. Sva hrvatska i slovenska rodbina i šira obitelj (Štimac, Erent, Bukovac, Merle, Tomac, Malnar, Švab, Muhvić) dobrodošla je na odavanje počasti. Sestre Štimac sadit će razne vrste voćaka (8) među kojima je i orah. Ova će stabla biti posađena u spomen na njihovu sestru na hrvatskom obiteljskom imanju Štimac Zakrajac (Gorski Kotar) gdje je rođena i odrasla.

Maria ima mnogo rođaka i daljnjih rođaka diljem svijeta uključujući Sjedinjene Države, Kanadu, Francusku, Njemačku, Hrvatsku, Sloveniju, Austriju i Australiju. Svi su dobrodošli kontaktirati obitelj putem pogrebnog poduzeća, Facebooka i Ancestry.com. Navedite odgovarajuće podatke za kontakt uključujući sljedeće: broj telefona, e-poštu, Facebook račun. Molimo dopustite 72 sata vremena za odgovor obitelji. Pozivi u inozemstvo obavljaju se putem Vibera i Whatsappa kako bi se izbjegle naknade za međugradsku vezu. Postojat će virtualna knjiga žalosti za sve prijatelje, obitelj, susjede i kolege u koje mogu zapisati svoju osobnu sućut.

Dok se opraštamo od Marije (Štimac) Erent, čuvajmo uspomene koje nam je ostavila i slavimo njezin zajednički život. Neka živi njen duh ljubavi, dobrote i velikodušnosti!! 

DONACIJA:

Jedno drvo posađeno: onetreeplanted.org

Crkva St. Andrije, Thunder Bay, Ontario: www.standrewrc.ca.

Crkva Turkovski , Zakrajac, Croatia

elevated 1riAr  

elevated 1riAr Donations 
One tree planted onetreeplanted.org
St. Andrews Church, Thunder Bay Ontario : www.standrewrc.ca.