Arlene Lillian Bilawchuk

Arlene Lillian Bilawchuk was born October 13th, 1964, in Spirit River, Alberta to Edward and Lucy Bilawchuk. Arlene was the second of three children. As she grew up, Arlene caught the travel bug and started a lifelong love of seeing new sights. She started her adventures by spending a semester in Australia in grade 11, hosted by the Matthew’s family in Goulburn, New South Wales, which was a trip where she made many friends that lasted her entire life. After high school, she went and took a paralegal course which led to her working for a member of Parliament in Ottawa for a year. This led to a term position in London, England where she worked for a Member of Parliament there for 6 months. She soon felt the need to return home to Canada and wanted to explore other options. She decided to attend NAIT and enrolled in Earth Resources with her brother, Brian, and spent 2 years in school in the Petroleum Engineering Program. She still hadn’t found her niche for a career, so she moved to Calgary with her sister Colleen, and she put her computer training from school to work and soon got a job working as a IT specialist for an online company. Soon she was promoted to supervisor and then became office manager. When Colleen left to teach in Korea, Arlene also decided it was time for a change and accepted a promotion to the company head office in Toronto. She first spent time in Missisauga then purchased a home in East York. When her sister returned from South Korea, she introduced Arlene to teaching English as a second language and transitioned to a career as English Test examiner. She enjoyed working with eager students looking to improve their opportunities in life, and soon was one of the office supervisors. Opportunity opened another door for her as her company was expanding into western Canada and offered her a position in Edmonton. She enjoyed her move back to Alberta, allowing her more time to spend with her mother and niece and nephew. The onset of the pandemic severely restricted her work and after 3 years, she opted to return to Toronto and purchased a condo in the same building as her sister. She lived there until the time of her passing and was active in the condo association of the building, always looking to make the building the best place to live in East York. As the economic downturn hit everyone, she looked for more stability in her work life, so she transitioned to working for Service Canada and was working as a Service Advisor for Seniors Benefits until her death. Arlene continued to travel the world, with trips to the U.S. as well as Expo 86 in Vancouver, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, as well as her favorite spot Hawaii. She enjoyed travelling with her sister and with her mother, they saw many places here in Canada as well as the US and overseas. One of her favorite memories was the trip to Hawaii with her entire family including her niece Carys and nephew Kane. Spending time with family held a special place in her heart as she loved being “Aunty Arlene” and always wished to spend more time with Carys and Kane. Arlene was predeceased by her father, Edward Bilawchuk (2008), and her older sister Colleen Bilawchuk (2024). She is survived by her mother Lucy Bilawchuk, brother Brian Bilawchuk, niece Carys Bilawchuk and nephew Kane Bilawchuk. Arlene leaves behind Aunts, cousins and many friends who will miss her wonderful smile and joyful laugh. Arlene passed away suddenly on May 1, 2024, at her home, and had a simple cremation. The family wishes to thank everyone for their kindness, love and support they have received during these trying times. The family sends heartfelt thanks to everyone for their telephone conversations, flowers, cards, emails, and comments on various websites including www.aftercare.org with her tribute page. A Celebration of Life for Arlene will be announced later. In Lieu of flowers, please feel free to make donations to the Arthritis Society, National Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Canada, or your local food bank.