Martha Victoria Prytula

Martha Victoria Prytula

December 30, 1932 – December 7, 2023

Guitar strapped to her back, Martha Victoria Prytula, 90, of Victoria, B.C. went singing to her heavenly home on the morning of December 7, 2023. The second youngest of 11 children, Martha was born on Dec. 30, 1932, near Rama, Saskatchewan, to Wasyl and Anna (nee Yakymishen) Prietchuk. She attended school in Saskatchewan, first in Mainroad, then Boxmoor, both one-room country schools, and then in a red brick four-room Grades 1-12 edifice in Buchanan, Saskatchewan.

What mattered most to Mom throughout her life was her family, her faith, and her music. A beloved mother to nine children, Baba to oodles, a loyal loving friend and prayer warrior to so many.

In high school, she met Alex Walter Prytula, and together they raised their large and busy crew. From early on, Mom was driven. She had to be. Cooking, cleaning, canning, driving, sewing, gardening, counselling. Famous for her green tomato jam, pickles, Christmas chocolates, bread buns, cinnamon buns, Ukrainian perogies, cabbage rolls, borscht…her kitchen hosted many family and friends dropping by for her goodies late night Fridays.

Raising nine children was wild at times: “I manage to maintain my sanity when five instruments are playing five different tunes in five different parts of the house at the same time. I manage to retain my composure when my children’s biologist father decides to dissect a frog on the kitchen table to give them an opportunity to study nature first-hand. I even put up with jars of shrimp eggs in the basement laundry room, which Alex uses for his [Masters] thesis (the shrimp eggs, not the laundry room!)”

Despite her hectic schedule, late at night after the children were tucked in bed, Mom turned to writing, taking her first course, paid for by selling Encyclopedia, then selling Avon, in her ‘spare time’. Later, her stories and articles were published in Reader’s Digest, Western Producer, Prairies Farmer, Kelowna Capital News, to name a few. As Kelowna Multicultural Society Co-ordinator, her writing talents were quickly discovered, leading to fascinating interviews and published articles about many cultures. In 1964, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Mom began producing her infamous Christmas Chronicles providing a detailed and humorous account of the family ‘doings‘, a tradition she maintained for nearly 60 years until 2023.

Influenced by a life changing event, this country girl found yet another calling: writing, composing, and singing country and faith songs. Her music career highlights included studio-producing her original songs on CD, writing and singing songs about her family, and later at age 87, collaborating on a music project with a two-time Juno award winner.

She will forever be remembered for her glass of wine (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!), her chocolate, her adventures with her 14 great grandchildren, ten grandchildren and nine children, her endless energy, her joie de vivre, her spendthrift moments, and her love in the Lord.

Martha is survived by her children Richard (Rose-Marie), David, Carol Ann, Bill (Nora), Dianne (Clancy), Michael (Jennifer), Winona (Rodney), Melissa (Darrell); her grandchildren & great grandchildren Danielle (Pierre, Sunny), Nicole (Chris, Sawyer, Rhett), Jessica (Jay, Evalyn, Makena, Van), Adam (Ellie, Sarah, Vivianna), Erik (Aleeza), Ocean (Shereen, Sky, Rafael), Jadedawn (Aaron, Jack, Casey, Rose), Raven Belle (Jeffrey), Courtney, Michael (Farah), and her brother John Prietchuk. She was predeceased by her son Greg, father of her children Alex Walter Prytula, son-in-law Vic, parents Wasyl and Ann, stepfather Steve Bodnarchuk, sisters Effie, Patricia, Elizabeth, Mary, Pauline, Helen, Eunice, and brothers Henry and Mike.

Thank you to the staff of the Victoria Hospice & Palliative teams, B.C. Cancer Agency, and Community Nurses for their exceptional care and support in her final weeks.

Services will be held at Royal Oak Burial Park Chapel on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, 10 am. In lieu of flowers, Martha requested donations be made to B.C. Schizophrenia Society in honor of her daughter Carol Ann.

She will be deeply, deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Sail on … silver girl ... sail on. You are home now in heaven.