HABIJANAC, Andrea
Posted: February 4th, 2022
Andrea Habijanac
1924 – 2022
Andrea Habijanac (nee Bebek) of Coaldale, beloved wife of the late Rudy Habijanac, passed away peacefully at Chinook Regional Hospital on Tuesday, January 25 at the age of 97 years.
Andrea was born on April 16, 1924 in Sipovaca Hercegovina Yugoslavia to parents Jurka Zivkusic and Jure Bebek. Jure immigrated first to Canada in 1928. Andrea and the rest of her family joined him in 1937 and worked in the sugar beet fields in Raymond and Picture Butte areas for several years. Andrea met Rudy Habijanac at a Croatian picnic in Barnwell and they were married on July 23, 1944. Andrea and Rudy farmed near Coaldale with Rudy’s parents until their passing. Together, Andrea and Rudy raised their family on the farm and continued farming until his passing. Andrea then decided to stay on the family farm, where she resided until her passing.
Andrea loved the farm and could not imagine living anywhere else. Over the years, she raised cattle and chickens, had milk cows, a few pigs sheep, and geese. She had a large garden which included numerous vegetables and gladiolas and flowers too. She was a great cook and family and friends were beneficiaries of her cabbage rolls and her specialty baking, kifles, as well as many other delicious treats.
Family was number one for Andrea and she loved spending time with them. There were many get-togethers with family and friends at the Habijanac farm. And every Thursday was “coffee day” in Lethbridge, a tradition which continued until recently.
Andrea is survived by her four children: Don (Pam), Ron (Tracy), Ken (Kathee) and Barb (Clarence) Giesbrecht. Andrea was a proud grandmother of Carrie (Tom) and Laurie, Brett (Jen), Tara (Adrian) Harbison, Nicholas, Sacha (Thao) and Julie. She was a proud great- grandmother of Jenna, Jordan and Kaden Husein, Lucien, Dylan, Nathan and Lauren Habijanac and Makena and Tea Harbison. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and their families.
Besides her loving husband Rudy, Andrea is predeceased by her parents Jure and Jurka, her in-laws Izidor and Frances, her siblings Nick (Eva) Bebek, Mike (Freda) Bebek, Madeline (Steve) Lukenda and Millie (Ivan) Ponjavic and her in-laws Kathryn (Jim) Spence (Guido Bagozzi), Vic (Anne) Habijanac, Barbara (Paul) Konigsbauer.
Andrea was a strong and courageous woman, determined to live her life on her own terms. Her life is a wonderful example and her legacy will live on in us. She will be greatly missed by family and friends.
A Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 pm, on Friday, February 4, 2022, at MARTIN BROTHERS RIVERVIEW CHAPEL, 610-4 Street South, Lethbridge. Due to the ongoing Covid 19 restrictions in person attendance at the service is limited. Those who wish to attend may do so by selecting the ‘Click here to RSVP” on Andrea’s obituary, or you may call Martin Brothers at (403) 328-2361.
A private family Funeral Mass will be held at 1:30 pm, on Saturday, February 5, 2022. The family asks those who wish, to watch the service VIA livestream by going to https://www.mbfunerals.com/obituary/Andrea-Habijanac.
Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery.
Visit www.mbfunerals.com to send a condolence.