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Halina Gail Struser
June 22nd, 1947 - January 9th, 2021
June 22nd, 1947 - January 9th, 2021
Thank you for visiting Halina's Memorial Page. We are so grateful that this page exists where we can keep photos of our beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. Please feel free to download any photos you wish. We will keep adding to the album. If you have any photos you would like to share with the family or add to this site, please email Tamara at tgreenstone@gmail.com. Thank you all very much. Halina loved everyone fully. Thank you for the part you played in her life.
It is with great sadness that the family of Halina Gail Struser announce her passing on January 9th, 2021. A caring and loving daughter, sister, mother, wife, and friend; she will be sorely missed by everyone whose lives she touched.
Halina led her life guided by compassion and love for people on both her professional and personal paths. She completed her Registered Nursing Diploma (R.N.) at the Montreal General Hospital in 1969 before attending Concordia University for her Bachelor of Community Health in 1976 and the University of British Columbia, where she graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1988.
Halina’s professional path began at the Veterans Hospital in Montreal where she worked on the Psychiatric ward, and then on the Surgical ward of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. It was during this time that she met Gerry Greenstone. They were married in 1976, and in 1977 she gave birth to their daughter, Tamara, shortly before moving to Vancouver.
Halina’s involvement in the establishment of the first ever part-time Nursing program in Canada at Kwantlen College in 1988 was one her proudest accomplishments. She was a founding faculty member, inspiring hundreds of nursing students to find their passions and learn the skills of their trade. More recently, Halina was a board member of the Peace Arch Hospice Society and took great satisfaction in her involvement in the children’s grief camp program.
Having an adventurous and open spirit, Halina (and Gerry) loved to travel and experience new cultures and saw much of the world in recent years. She found pleasure tending to her garden, walking her dogs and being with her family and friends.
Halina is survived by her husband Gerry Greenstone, daughter Tamara (John) Alefaio, sister Linda Botknecht, nieces Deborah (Randy), Caryn and nephew David (Alicia), sister Reesa Struser and nephews Jeremy (Mandy) and Adam, and many extended family members and friends that she loved so dearly. She was predeceased by her loving parents Frank and Bertha Struser.
Due to the health risks of the current Covid-19 pandemic, a memorial is yet to be planned. Memorial donations can be made in Halina’s name to the Peace Arch Hospice Society: peacearchhospice.org.
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Tributes
Share a favorite memory, send condolences, and honor Halina’s life with a heartfelt message.
Neil Tudiver
Dear Gerry, Linda and Reesa I just learned about Halina's passing. Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your dear wife and sister. Halina and I caught up with each others' lives 7 years ago through corresponding on her Facebook page. I think she shared my excitement at rekindling a friendship and at the possibility of seeing each other and meeting our families. We fully intended to meet up, either in Vancouver or Ottawa. Alas we never realized our intentions. A few years ago I found a packet of 10 cards that Halina made and sent daily to my mother when she was hospitalized. Halina was a young girl at the time, wise far beyond her years. Each card brought cheer and hope to my mother for another day. It was an extraordinary gift. Young Halina and my mother had a special bond. We shared the love for each other's parents. Babs and Frank hold a very special place in my heart. In my older teens Frank liked to advise me on career and life. His advice ranged from the serious and helpful to hilarious. I loved it all. I will never forget dear Halina. Neil Tudiver
Zoe Fransen
Dear Gerry and Tam, This moment is so sad and heartbreaking for all of us. Our families met shortly after you arrived in Surrey and quickly we were united in a friendship that evolved into a family like extension. Gerry, Halina ,Tam and Boo along with our 5 children and families celebrated so many holidays and life events together. We loved Halina and will miss her so much. We will celebrate her life, when co-vid allows and all be together to toast her beautiful life! Halina left us too soon and for that we grieve. We will carry on and be thankful for all the memories we shared and treasured together.!. We love you, Zoe, Don and Family
Brian Oruairc
Gerry, very sad to read about Halina's death, you are in our thoughts and prayers, such a difficult time, and COVID is certainly not helping. Best Wishes from Brian and Deirdre O'Ruairc
Fletch
The first time halina met kali.
Jan
Route Marshals at our Hike for Hospice.
Peggy Lee
When did we start referring to members of our South Surrey/Langley book club as Sisters of the Book? Over the course of the past quarter century, us Sisters could always depend on Halina to suggest a “D” book for our monthly book club meetings: little “d” for somewhat depressing, and big “D” for really depressing. Her books were often difficult to read, not because they were depressing (we all LOVE depressing books), but because they were challenging, thought-provoking books that helped us better understand the world we live in with honest self-reflection. The last book that Halina planned to share with us (but sadly was not able to) back in September of last year was Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist. What an absolutely timely book to help us reflect on the chaos around us these days! I will forever miss Halina’s “D” books, her self-deprecating sense of humour, and most particularly our time driving to (or rather, being driven to) our book club meetings, since neither one of us has any sense of direction.
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