Obituary of Val Kolla

Livestreaming of the Mass of Christian Burial will be available for those who are unable to attend at https://saintannes.ca/saint-annes-parish-online/

Extraordinary caregiver and retired nurse Valerie, “Val” Kolla’s love of life did not end as she prepared to meet the Risen Lord. Val passed away peacefully on Friday, April 14, 2023 at the age of 69 after a courageous battle with cancer; surrounded by her loving husband of 47 years, Ray Kolla and her family by her side, who will continue to honour her legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

For those who knew Val, family was everything. Some of her final words were, “I would not change anything in my life. I have a loving partner, raised three wonderful sons, have two loving daughters-in-law and a darling granddaughter, Evelyn. I loved, was loved, and now am at peace.” We celebrate her caring spirit, her kindness, her strong will, her many long-lasting friendships and her generosity of time and attention. Val will be dearly missed and always remembered.

Val was born on January 8, 1954, in Vanguard, SK, to Harry and Anita Froyman (née Tinant). Her strong family bond and prairie roots were born from a deep love for her parents and a close relationship with her sisters, Lynne, Denise, and Leanne and brother Dennis. She attended C.H. Peart High School in Vanguard where she excelled in academics and athletics.

Val attended the University of Saskatchewan after high school, obtaining her BA degree in Sociology in 1975. She met Ray, over a pound of butter, which apparently, he didn’t need, at the U of S Assiniboine apartments. Ray and Val were married on August 9, 1975 and together they have three sons. As a supportive wife and partner, they moved to Vancouver (1975 - 1978) and Victoria (2008 - 2011) for Ray’s work but returned to Saskatoon each time to be closer to family and friends, which were so important to them.

Val loved being a mom and always supported Ray and her sons in every family activity and adventure. In 1990, as a busy mom and role model, she returned to school to become a Registered Nurse, a career that perfectly matched her compassion and caring for others. As a family, we developed a much greater appreciation for everything she did while she was away obtaining her RN diploma. Val practiced as an RN until November, 2008.

Val loved family gatherings, dinner table banter, food well done, supporting her sons’ activities from piano recitals to basketball games, reading, music, theatre, learning to play golf with her sisters and spending time with her many close friends and family. In retirement, Val enjoyed spending time travelling with Ray and their close friends and family, as well as summers in Fernie, BC, which was a special and memorable place for the entire family. More recently, she cherished spending time with Evelyn Alice, her beloved granddaughter.

Val was truly one of a kind. She was compassionate and independent, intellectually curious, a great conversationalist, hard-working, intelligent, and completely selfless. She had an immense love for her family and friends and was a continual source of strength and support. She had high expectations but instilled complete confidence in knowing that any goal could be achieved with hard work and effort.

Val is survived by her husband and best friend, Ray, their three sons and biggest fans, Nathan Kolla of Toronto, Courtney Kolla (Erin) of Calgary, Lee Kolla (Robbyn) of Saskatoon and granddaughter, Evelyn Alice. Val adored her sons and had a special relationship with her daughters-in-law. She was a proud grandmother to Lee and Robbyn’s one-year-old Evelyn and had the following words for her, “Be tenacious, follow your dreams, and know I’ll always love you.”

Val is also survived by her siblings, Lynne Siggelkow (Joe Polsfut), Dennis Froyman (Debra), Denise Blair (Lorne), Leanne Kolla (Francis) and their families and brothers and sisters-in-law, Bernadine Kolla, Mary Banga (Alex), Ed Kolla (Debra), Michael Kolla (Carol), RoseAnne Forster (Tim), aunts Grace Tinant, Erna Kirzinger, Rosemary Kirzinger, Heather Kolla and uncle Ralph Pauli and many special cousins, nieces, nephews and friends whom she loved.

Val was pre-deceased by her parents, Harry and Anita Froyman, Mike and Mary Kolla (parents-in-law), John and Lorette Kolla (brother and sister-in-law), and her nephews A.J. and Theron Kolla, as well as other aunts, uncles and cousins.

Our family is incredibly grateful to the many wonderful caregivers at the Royal University Hospital and the Hospice at Glengarda for their exceptional care and compassion.

A Prayer Vigil will be held on Friday, April 28^th at 7:00 p.m. at Saint Anne’s Parish, 217 Lenore Drive, Saskatoon, SK. The Mass of Christian Burial will be con-celebrated on Saturday, April 29^th at 11:00 a.m. also at Saint Anne’s Parish, with celebrants Rev. Fr. Hoang Nguyen and Rev. Fr. Ken Beck. Live streaming of the Mass of Christian Burial will be available at https://saintannes.ca/saint-annes-parish-online/. Fellowship and refreshments will follow the Prayer Vigil as well as fellowship and a lunch following the Mass of Christian Burial both at the adjacent parish hall. A private Interment by the immediate family will take place in Saskatoon in the summer.

In lieu of flowers, friends and relatives are invited to donate to the Hospice at Glengarda at https://www.stpaulshospital.org/foundation/about/ or by mail to St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation,1702 20^th St. West, Saskatoon, SK, S7M 0Z9 OR to the Saskatoon Cancer Centre at www.cancerfoundationsask.ca or by mail to Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, 200-4545 Parliament Ave. Regina, SK. S4W 0G3.

Val will be forever loved by all the lives she touched.