Lilian Sebulsky
January 1st, 2022
It is with very heavy hearts that the family of Lilian Sebulsky must announce her peaceful passing after a brief, but valiantly fought battle to stay with us all.
Lilian Price of Radisson, SK, daughter of Ruby and Charles, married her first love Edward Sebulsky in Saskatoon SK in 1956. While they began their journey together in Saskatoon they soon moved to North Battleford, from there they continued west stopping in Calgary, AB, until setting deep roots in Delta, BC, and presently Langley, BC.
Lilian was very much a people person. Anyone who knew Lilian knew of her loves: friends, family, chatting, shopping, music, singing and knitting. She always wore her heart on her sleeve. Lilian deeply looked forward to sushi lunches with her two adored great grand daughters, as well as lunch dates, picnics and shopping outings with her dear friends and family.
Given her love of people it was inevitable that her career would have some element of human interaction. Lilian was a Welcome Wagon greeter in BC for many years and met many life long friends through Vanda Beauty Counselor Cosmetics in both AB and BC where she began in sales and later owned her own distributorship; she also worked with the public at The City of Surrey. Many other treasured lifelong friends were formed through not only her shopping and swimming adventures, but also through the Langley Presbyterian Church that she attended. She was politically alert and enjoyed working in a variety of capacities for both Provincial and Federal elections; however Lilian’s greatest passion and privilege was volunteering her time by knitting baby hats for the hospital and sharing her love of music with seniors in assisted living and extended care facilities.
Lilian recognized the gift of music, hymns and singing while visiting her mom in a nursing home in SK. Her mom was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Upon sitting down to the piano and singing some hymns for her mom, she too began singing along. The gift of music became apparent to Lilian and she could see the joy that the music brought to her mom’s face. For the last 20 years, up until the pandemic, Lilian along with her dear late friend Maggie and Lilian’s husband Ed, found joy in volunteering their time to bring the gift of music and singing to seniors in care homes throughout the lower mainland of BC by leading Sing-A-Long’s with the residents, staff and their families. In 2012, Lilian was honoured to be presented with the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal for her volunteer work within the community.
Lilian continues to look over her loving husband Edward, son Greg (Brigitte), daughter Debbie (Brian), loving grandsons Rick (Nada) and Mark (Jessica), her beloved great grandchildren Roya and Mira, sister Pearl as well as her many nieces and nephews. A joyful celebration honoring Lilian’s life filled with music and singing, will be held at a future date, pandemic pending.
The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the medical team at the Langley Memorial Hospital who helped Lilian, in particular those in the CCU, whose professionalism and compassion was so deeply appreciated. You are all angels and superheroes.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in her memory to your favourite charity or to one of Lilian’s: Langley Presbyterian Church, Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation and The Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.
Messages:
To the Sebulsky Family We are so sorry to hear of your Family’s loss. May Lilian’s Soul rest in eternal peace.
Ed, So sorry to hear of Lilian's passing. Our long term neighbors we think of you often. Blessings to you and your family and so good to read all the comments of your wonderful experiences over so many years together. Lilian is singing in a much bigger choir now.
I loved having Lillian in my aqua fit classes at Blair, she was always so happy and had a big smile for everyone. On behalf of the staff at WC Blair Pool, and the Township of Langley, we are so very sorry for your loss, and will miss Lillian very much. Our sincere condolences to the family, Barb Henderson
Your warmth and spirit radiated from you. It was such a gift to have met both you and Ed. I'll miss our visits, but you'll be in my heart always. Peace be with you and your family.
We are very sorry for your loss. Don said Lillian was the BEST sales lady when she worked for Welcome Wagon. We want you to know we CARE. Love from Don & Penny,
Ed and family. So sorry to hear of the passing of My Diamond Lil. She had a special connection to me because of our Sask. Roots. She was not just an entertainer she was a friend to our Residents at LmH Her and Ed volunteered also at Election times a very hard job but they were wonderful to all Residents. As an entertainer she was so accommodating whatever the day whatever the time and whatever the price she provided for us. That is really special!!!. I have not seen her for sometime but I will miss seeing her a Blair Pool. Ed you had a wonderful wife friend and companion. But you also are a special person. LMH was so lucky to have you in our lives..RIP my Lil. Ed I have been calling you and can't get through. Give me a call anytime when you want to talk.6045141267. My sincere condolences to all the family and all she touched.
I met my second cousin Ed and his wife Lillian, for the first time, in 2017. As a woman motorcycle rider, I arrived at their home knowing that they really didn't know what to expect. As we sat having tea and chatting, Lillian said, "you are different than I expected". I thought for a moment and started to laugh, while saying, you expected a hard biker chick didn't you? She looked at me and said "yes, and in a tone of total surprise she said, "but you are nice, you are really nice!" How could one not laugh at such blunt honesty! It was so refreshing and endearing. I've told this story many times with a warm smiles and laughter. My sincerest condolences and love to the family.
We are so sorry to hear of Lillian's passing. Such a vibrant, kind lady. I can speak for Don & Dana Hepburn who are with Lillian now. They were very fond of Lillian and I remember all great thoughts, mom & dad shared about her. The Hepburn family would like to extend our thoughts & condolences to Ed, Greg, Debbie & all Lillian's family . Rest in Peace & Sing with the Angels - Lillian
We are so sorry to hear of your loss. Thanks for writing this great summary of her life. Your family had a great influence on our family. She will stay in our hearts forever.
We are so sorry to hear of Lilian's passing. Our sincere condolences to you all.
Ed, We are so sorry to hear of Lil’s passing. What a beautiful, warm, thoughtful and talented woman she was. We will never forget her smile, her lovely singing voice and her tremendous sense of fun. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, all our love♥️♥️♥️
I will forever be grateful for passing your love of music to me. Music will always remind me of you. Thank you for your patience with me. Love you Mom
The first time I met Lillian was at her son-in-law Brian's 50th birthday party some years ago. Part way through, she impressed me greatly by standing up on the back steps and delivering a brief, off-the-cuff, heartfelt speech saying how much her family appreciated Brian and his contribution to the family. I met her several times after that and always enjoyed her sparkle and good humour. Lillian will be missed by all who knew her.
My condolences to you, your dad and Brian. Thank you for sharing this. I do miss your mom. I have never forgotten her kindness and hospitality. It was over 40 years ago when I met your mom and dad but it feels like yesterday. I have great memories of her.
Dear Ed, please accept our sincere condolences and prayers. We are sorry to hear that Lillian has passed. She was your soul mate for many years. Happy memories of the wonderful times together will bring you peace and joy. She shared her love of life with everyone, in so many ways. We send you blessings and strength from our hearts to yours. Marco and Wendy
Dear Ed, Greg, Debbie and Family, Dan and I were saddened by the news of Lillian’s passing. We met Ed and Lillian when they donated their Christmas Day to sing during our Christmas dinner at St. Joseph’s almost 20 years ago. We became friends over the years and I quickly realized she was a precious soul, always giving of her time and her gift of music. Lillian touched many hearts in her life, she will be greatly missed not only by her family whom she loved dearly, but all who were fortunate enough to meet her. It is hard to lose a love one but as time goes on, the pain doesn’t go away, it changes, and your memories of her start to replace some of the loss you are suffering now. Take pleasure knowing that Lillian has already joined God’s heavenly choir. A beautiful place for a beautiful soul. May God Bless. Deacon Dan and Joan.
Dear Ed and Family, We are so sorry for your loss. In the short time that we were lucky enough to have known Lilian, she had shown us how warm, loving and caring she was. Sadly, we will miss Lilian very much but memories of her will stay with us forever. Beautiful memories are like threads of gold. Never tarnish and never grow old. Bill, April & Family
Ed & Famlly, My sincere condolences in your loss of Lillian, I knew her from our church and talked to her on many occasions during my time on Pastoral Care team , we had many good talks. She was an asset to our Church with her lovely solos and will be sorely missed. May you treasure your memories and as someone said to me-- When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure and that is so true. May God be with you , sincerely Audrey McGregor
So sorry to hear about Lil's passing Ed. She was always a joy to see with that fabulous smile she always had. She was a great friend to my parents. She will be missed by a lot of people. We send our prayers and thoughts to you and your family.
Dear Ed Rich and I are so sad to hear of your loss. Dear Lilian was a joy to behold full of vigor and fun. Our deepest sympathies to you and your family. Love and prayers Michele & Rich
Ed, I send my deepest condolences to you and your family for the loss of your dear Lillian. Although I only met her briefly at a few work functions, from reading this I can tell she was a wonderful, caring person whose main goal in life was to help others.
A lovely tribute to Lilian. Such a giving and compassionate soul will be missed. May her music play on in all of our hearts.
So glad that Katie and I were able to come by and have a wonderful chat with Lilian and Ed. Such a kind hearted soul and so talented. So sorry to all Lil's family and friends for their loss
Our hearts are filled with sadness and will miss our friend Lil. And yet our hearts are filled with gladness for knowing Lil for the wonderful caring person she was.
Sending love and prayers to Ed and family. As administrator at Langley Presbyterian for many years I had wonderful chats with Lillian. We were all grateful as a Congregation to have Lillian contribute so much to the music at our Church. RIP Lillian, your music will be welcome in Heaven.
We were so saddened to hear of Lillian’s passing. I will miss our “nail and coffee” chats. Sending love to all who knew her. Laura and Ari
Ed, to you and the family we offer our love and extended hugs during this difficult time. We met you and Lilian through our Presbyterian Church and this friendship continued on through our friends within the Force and all of the talents that you both so righteously shared with others. We thoroughly enjoyed Lil’s gift of song and kindness at every turn of her life. She will be missed. Les and Gill Allen Delta BC
This comes as very sad news. Sorry for your lose Ed and to your family. Lily was a very good friend to my parents and our family. She joined us at many family functions and we always welcomed her joyous spirit. Rest In Peace Lily.
Thank you for sharing this with me, Ed. I'm so glad to read about the wonderful life Lilian lived. We will be praying for you and your family.
I'll always remember first meeting Sing a Long with Lil' back in the late 90's at Highland Lodge in Langley. The time when Lilian personally played piano, she was fabulous. It was because of Lil that makes me want to do Sing a Longs when I retire from Recreation. Lilian inspired so many. Loved so much and so many. And is now missed so much by so many. Rest in Peace and in Music Lilian. Love You Lots.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ed and his family at this time. We have enjoyed a friendship with both Ed & Lillian. We will always remember Lillian's good sense of humour, her faith, her smile and positive attitude even in the challenges of life. She has been a good friend, always willing to help, and she will be missed.
We are sorry to hear of your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Such a shock to hear about Lillian’s passing.. a beautiful women who liked to bake and Lillian shared many recipes and Ed and I reminisced Ukrainian and polish stories of food and culture. I new Lillian just a short time and became a friend quickly as she was my kind of gal. Full of life and giving. I will treasure fond memories and wish a peaceful mourning to her family and her dear husband Ed.
What a beautiful legacy and a life well lived. She lifted so many spirits in her lifetime by choosing to share her gifts and talents with others. We are so inspired by her life of family, service and generosity.
My sincere condolences and sympathy to you, Debbie and Brian. Your loss is great and much time is required for the hurt to lessen and the time to heal. The wonderful memories of your dear Mom bring tears now - but later will bring smiles of joy and happiness for the love Lillian poured out upon her family. Her beautiful singing voice will bring pleasant memories to mind and ease the pain of loss. Her many gifts of service to her community are great, and contributed to the joy and healing of seniors who were blessed with receiving her gifts of compassion, friendship, music and sincere love. Lillian has given so much of herself in her lifetime and her love and service to humanity, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, will be an example for all who knew her. May you find peace in knowing that Lilian is free of pain and that her Spirit lives on in the presence of God. May you be blessed with the Peace of God which passes all understanding. With much love, Anne❤️
What a lovely lady your mom was. Such a big heart to spend all those times sharing music with the seniors in the senior homes. As a Geriatric trained nurse I know how much music can connect seniors (with or without dementia) with happy memories. It was a wonderful gift for her to share. We will look forward to joining in on musical celebrations on her special day when that day comes. Until then we wish you all the best with you memories of your wonderful mom.
May your soul Rest In Peace.
It was my joy to see Lilian on a couple occasions bring joy to residents of Hogg 3 where my mom was a resident. She would play and sing which brought so much joy to them. I was always so interested in her stories of times gone by and especially of family especially since I had shared my bedroom with her mom on several occasions when visiting. She accomplished much and blessed others of her time and talent. I am sure she will continue to use her talents and be singing with the heavenly angels. Dave and Shirley
A beautiful tribute to a beautiful lady.....I loved our long chats on the phone, and in better times our lunches out....(mostly Sushi!! LOL) She was always so cheerful....wanting to share stories of her family and friends. I just wish that I had of seen her in action at one of the care homes. I know she had many many fans there. She is now watching down over us...with her gorgeous smile.....missing you....Karin
I miss you so much mom
Ed, Debbie and Greg.....with the chaos in the Ukraine, I though what a great time to re-establish contact with Ed and Lil.....looked up their phone number on line and was sad to see that Lil had passed away at the beginning of this year. I can't blame the pandemic, for losing contact, but sad when time and distance takes dear, longtime friends away. Ed, I will be in touch when I can make it up to BC later this year. Sad to get this news, albeit, 3 months late. Ed, Debbie and Greg Derek Moore.....I will be in touch soon.