Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post recently wrote the following headline for an article about a woman who had ties to the Kamsack and Canora communities: The Leader-Post’s Christmas Cheer Fund has not had a greater friend than Gloria Cymbalisty.
“Gloria, one of seven children, was born in Canora and grew up on the family farm near Kamsack, he continued in the article.
“She later attended the University of Regina, at which she earned an education degree, and became a teacher. For most of her career, though, she was a labour arbitrator.
“For Gloria, helping others was a labour of love.”
According to the article, Gloria was a “perennial donor to the Leader-Post’s Christmas Cheer Fund,” which was said to benefit “four local women’s shelters: Regina Transition House, SOFIA House, WISH Safe House and the YWCA Regina’s Isabel Johnson Shelter.”
Each year, she found a creative and fun way to make a contribution, and a difference, he said.
“Sadly, this amazing lady died of cancer on March 9, at age 68,” Vanstone continued. “But even in her final months, at such a difficult time, she was looking out for others. Consider the latest donation in her name: ‘Estate of Gloria Mae Cymbalisty, $7,500.’”
Gloria’s contribution was acknowledged November 30, when the 28th annual Cheer Fund was launched.
Another one of the donations was listed as follows: “Saskatchewan Joint Board-Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, $365 (in memory of Len Wallace).”
Len was Gloria’s partner, a remarkably generous soul in his own right.
After Len passed away in November of 2004, Gloria continued to donate to Christmas Cheer “in loving memory” of her partner. The aforementioned Saskatchewan Joint Board has matched the donation each year.
“They always looked for charities that gave something back,” Bob Cymbalisty, Gloria’s brother, said from Gull Lake.
“Gloria was very special. She never had a bad word to say about anybody, and she had a very giving nature.”
“She was honest, she was caring, and she was hard-working,” said Gloria’s cousin, Carolyn Zaharychuk of Regina. “To her, everybody mattered. It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from. Everybody mattered.
“If you had more than you needed, you were obligated to share. She was very selfless.”
One of Gloria’s nephews, James Cymbalisty, and his wife Anna and their two children live near Kamsack. James’ father, Joe Cymbalisty, who passed away in 2012, was Gloria’s brother.
“Aunt Gloria was very special to all of our family, and she was an incredible human being,” James said recently. “It’s hard to find the right words to describe her. To all of us nieces and nephews, she was known as ‘Aunt G.’
“She also had a passion for gardening, and sometimes it seemed she would literally stand and watch her garden grow. Some of her favorite flowers were her lilies, and my wife and I brought some of her lilies to our acreage, where we intend to keep them thriving in her memory,” he concluded.
