Obituary of Danica Bueschkens

BUESCHKENS, Danica (Donna) (nee Polimac)

October 25, 1928 - July 5, 2026

It is with broken hearts and profound love that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother and baba, Danica (Donna) Bueschkens (nee Polimac) at home on Sunday July 5th, 2026 at 7:30pm surrounded by her loving family.

She was predeceased by her loving husband and best friend, Hans Josef Bueschkens (1996), her parents Gligo (George) Polimac (1981) Stana (Ljubica) (nee Miljevic) and siblings Pajo, Branko and Ljuba and fur babies Tina, Max, Callie, Phoenix, Casey, Coco, Spaz and Schatzie who she so loved and brought her such great joy.

She is lovingly remembered and will be deeply missed by her children, Donna and Mary Anne Bueschkens, Cathy and RJ Hollub and her grandchildren Dillon Hollub and Nicholas and Emma Bueschkens in addition to a wide circle of extended family and friends.

How do you summarize the life of a remarkable woman in a way that does honour to her life, loves, passion, humour, sense of adventure and complete focus on family? It's really quite impossible but we will try to celebrate the life of our North Star through our shared grief by sharing her incredible story. She was born in Gorni Grabovac Yugoslavia on October 25th, 1928. She was named Danica which meant morning star that shone down during the night she was born. She travelled to Sarnia Ontario with her mother and brother. Her father went in advance to build a better life for his family in Canada. Sadly, she returned to Yugoslavia with her mother, brother and younger sister of 5 years born in Canada before WWII broke out and when the war started could not leave and they lived and endured atrocities and heartache there. She survived being in a concentration camp, but her mother and sister perished there. Her brother died shortly after the war and so she returned to Canada as the only survivor to live with her dad. Growing up during a time of immense change, Mom developed an extraordinary spirit of resilience, quiet strength, boundless generosity and grace that stayed with her throughout her entire century-long journey.

While living with her father in Sarnia she met her soulmate, the late Hans Josef Bueschkens (1996) and on October 12th, 1957 they married and began their 39 year magic carpet ride. Together, they built a beautiful life and home in Sarnia Ontario, first all living with her father in his house then across the street from her father on Bright Street raising 3 daughters Donna, Cathy and Mary Anne and moved to Windsor in 1968. Mom was the ultimate anchor of our family. She was the heart that held every generation together, always making our house feel like a home with her warm presence and eager anticipation of our daily arrivals.

Mom devoted her life to her children, her family, and the Culinary World by our dad's side visiting over 50 countries some many times over. Whether she was sewing all of our most beautiful clothes, or knitting or crocheting or getting us ready and taking us to church every Sunday or cooking or baking her world famous chocolate chip cookies and apple pie she approached every task with boundless love and dedication. Her house was always the favourite home for friends to visit. She always wanted everyone to have a good time and to feel her home was their home. We will always be grateful for our many countless trips especially to Canatara Beach and Park and 2 month family vacations to Europe every other summer and trips all over North American every alternate year.

She lost the love of her life 30 years ago on September 8th, 1996 while in Basil Switzerland on their retirement trip enroute to Berlin for the Ika Hoga (Culinary Olympics). When she lost her Hans her world shifted off its axis. Being so cherished, admired and completely loved by a man is hard to move forward from in memories alone. Despite her tremendous loss, she had such a fierce love for family which made her refocus all of her energy, passion and spirit to raising her two grandchildren Dillon and Nicholas. Every swim lesson, baseball game, lacrosse game, hockey game or just hosting their gang of friends became her passion. A true passion...not from a need to caretake... but from a need to shower these grandchildren with love and laughter and good times from every fibre of her being. When her granddaughter Emma was born, she spent most of her time in Oakville for the next 20 years to help raise her with her brother, Nicholas and for those next 20 years she took part in every dance, singing, piano recital and musical theatre performance as an avid fan and proud grandmother. She also spent hours on the floor of the house playing with barbie dolls and polly pockets to the point of not easily being able to get back up. She took on her role as baba with absolute joy. She treasured every moment spent raising her 3 grandchildren, leaving them with unforgettable stories, laughter and wisdom. Everyone who knew her loved her and wished they had her for their mom or baba. She loved sharing stories of her life and childhood. We never tired of hearing these stories as her voice was like a paint brush on a canvas...drawing us into it as if we were living it again with her with all of the pain, joy laughter and heartache that each story brought.

In her last few years part of her greatest pleasure came from watching figure skating and tennis all year round. She loved her Canadian skaters and Djokovic on the tennis court. She was such an avid and animated fan right to the end passing during Wimbledon. She spent the last years of her life living in her own home in Windsor with her eldest daughter Donna, playing Canasta with her daily, Cathy coming over to have coffee share stories, a hug and going to get her hair done, side by side manis and pedis, facials and massages and going out to eat. She loved her home, yard, gardens and pool and to watch the photo slideshow of hundreds of family memories on her Aura Frame and to look out of her bedroom window and see the giant maple and squirrels playing with the reflection of the pool glistening off the ceiling. She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren Dillon, Nicholas, Emma, daughter Mary Anne and son in law RJ.

We know in her last years, her knees were failing her and that she endured pain on a daily basis but she still managed her routines and didn't complain and kept going with a love and passion for life that was awe inspiring.

In her last moments she was surrounded by loved ones, telling stories to her now, singing to her now and holding her hand now when it became hard for her to lead the entertainment. Our North Star is no longer here with us on earth... the world shifted off its axis that day. She was the person who was a constant source of guidance and inspiration and moral direction. Just as the captain of a ship uses the North Star to navigate, our mom and baba was our human North Star helping us to find our way in life through often challenging and difficult times and to stay strong and stay on the right path when life can be challenging, confusing and difficult to navigate.

Mom thank you for every sacrifice you made for your family, every piece of wisdom you shared, and every moment you loved us completely. Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us. Your love will live on in our family, our traditions, in every moment we are together and in every life you touched. We will forever see pieces of you in all of us. We will always be grateful to God for blessing us with a mom and baba like you. Thank you for everything and for giving us the greatest childhood.

Mom lived 97 years full of love, laughter and blessings. Though her presence will be deeply missed her family finds comfort in the countless memories she created the values she instilled, to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, to never take a single moment together for granted, that family is everything, how to forgive and to love unconditionally and find joy in the little moments. We are comforted to know her faith has reunited her with all her loved ones that passed before her. Though she is no longer with us, her beautiful spirit will live on in our hearts forever. Every time we see the sun rise and set or see a Monarch Butterfly we will feel your presence and know you are watching over us. There is now another bright light to shine down on us from heaven.

Cremation has taken place on Wednesday July 8th, 2026. Funeral Mass to take place on Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 at 10am at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 1600 Norfolk St. Windsor, Ontario followed by a private graveside family service where she will be laid to rest in the family plot at Windsor Memorial Gardens beside her beloved husband Hans 30 years after he passed away in her arms.