Obituary of Joyce Lupescu
The family of Joyce Lupescu of Calgary and formerly of Ituna, beloved wife of the late John 'Jack' Lupescu sadly announces her passing on June 1, 2026.
Joyce Roberta Lupescu (nee Park) was born on April 1, 1934 (Easter Sunday morning) on the family farm north of Yarbo, SK (SE corner of Section 25, Township 20, West of 33), the second oldest born to Clifford Lloyd and Alice Park (nee Fraser). She was raised on the family farm and attended Redpath School and then went to high school In Esterhazy. She attended Moose Jaw Teachers College and taught at Jasmin, Regina and Ituna where she retired in 1991.
On November 26, 1957, she was united in marriage to John “Jack” Lupescu. Together they raised five children: John, Connie, Jim, Colleen and Candi. They had five grandchildren: Daniel, Hilary & Michael Nelson and Joshua & Joel Stewart.
Along with her family and work, Mom found time to serve her community. She was both a member of the Ituna & District Recreation Board and the regional recreation board (Qu’Appelle Valley Recreation Association). She taught religion at school and First Holy Communion in the church. She was a member of the Ukrainian Dance club (Klenovee Lystky) and the Ituna Figure Skating Club, holding executive positions in both. She was a faithful member of Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church. Mom served on the Parish council including serving as treasurer for a number of years. She was a member of the UCWLC. She could often be found reading the Epistle, doing office duty, working in the hall and, for over 25 years, leading the rosary every Sunday morning. Mom always said “God gave each of us certain talents to use to the best of our ability” and she tried to make her community a better place to live.
Mom was well known for wearing her favorite shirt that proudly proclaimed “My grandchildren are so much fun I wish I had them first”. She would absolutely light up when she saw both her grandchildren and her new great grandchildren. When they were little, she would patiently read the same book over and over again to them. Mom recently showed her great grandchildren how to spell the alphabet using sign language when she found out that they were learning it in daycare. Despite her stated preference for her grandkids, she honed her “fun” skills on her children, beating them in crokinole and refusing to label Christmas gifts under the tree. Every Christmas morning was made more fun by waiting for Mom to remember which gift was for which eager child. During her spare time, Mom loved doing puzzles - picture, crosswords, word searches and suduko. She was sure to let us know when she was running out.
Joyce was predeceased by her husband, Jack, (2014), her sons John (2024) & Jim (2023), parents, Clifford and Alice; sister, Luella (Belford) Rushka, brother, Keith (Vi) Park, brother-in-law Tony Kutcher, in-laws Alex and Sophia Lupescu, Anne (Sam) Spikula, Margaret (Gerald) Rolph, Mary Lupescu, and Bill Lupescu and several nieces.
Mom leaves to cherish her memory: sisters Ellen Kutcher of Moose Jaw, Lois Park of Nanaimo, daughters: Connie (Hugh Stirling), Colleen (Ron Vanderkruk), Candi, grandchildren: Daniel (Katie) Nelson, Hilary Nelson, Michael (Lexi) Nelson, Josh Stewart and Joel Stewart (Chelsea), great grandchildren Sullivan, Lewis, Eli and Kai, and numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.
Her family wishes to thank the staff of Trinity Lodge in Calgary for the compassionate care and support that they provided to mom during her time there.
Prayers were held on Thursday, June 18, 2026 from Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ituna, SK with Rev. Fr. Basil Malowany officiating. The rosary preceded, led by Delores Moskal and Nettie Lutz. The Funeral Liturgy was celebrated on Friday, June 19, 2026 from Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ituna, SK, with Rev. Fr. Jeffrey Stephaniuk as Celebrant. The cross bearer was Laura Berezny and the Epistle reader was Connie Lupescu. The interment followed in the Sacred Heart Parish Cemetery with Ron Vanderkruk, Hugh Stirling, Larry Tymiak, Daniel Nelson, Joshua Stewart and Michael Nelson serving as casket bearers.
Memorial donations may be made to Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, Ituna as gifts of remembrance.
