Colleen Anne Bilawchuk

Colleen Anne Bilawchuk was born on April 15, 1963, in Spirit River, Alberta, to Edward and Lucy Bilawchuk. Colleen was the eldest of three children. Colleen was always a good student and upon graduation moved to Calgary to get her first university degree. She started her university education studying psychology but instead of continuing down this path she pivoted to get her law degree. However, neither direction felt right for her. She worked for a few years and then decided it was time to see the world. Spurred on by having a love to travel, in 1997, Colleen accepted a job to teach English as a second language (ESL) in South Korea. She finally found her calling and enjoyed working with university students and adults to develop their English skills. Colleen stayed in South Korea for 5 years and took many opportunities to travel throughout Asia. She explored South Korea, went to see the Great Wall of China, and found her ideal vacation spot in Guam. Her mother, Lucy and sister, Arlene, had the good fortune to visit her in South Korea in 1999 and travelled with Colleen to visit Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, and San Francisco. Over the years, Colleen continued to travel and explored Canada, the United States, and found her second favourite vacation spot in Hawaii. Colleen moved back to Canada in 2002 and came to live in Toronto. She updated her education for a few years and then found jobs teaching ESL to adults. She eventually found a position at ILSC Toronto as a teacher which she stayed at for many years. Around 2014, she added another job to her resume by becoming a Speaking and Writing IELTS examiner (assessing candidates’ English proficiency). Colleen prided herself on her professionalism and strove to do her best at everything she took on. Many of her students remember her for her ability to help them develop their grammar skills. She would continue to teach and conduct IELTS exams up until her death. Colleen had a passion for literature. She not only collected rare books but read thousands of them. She was an ardent reader and she sought out a book lovers’ community that held annual conferences with authors in attendance. Colleen looked forward to travelling to these conference locations, meeting like-minded attendees, and collecting more books. She also enjoyed live theatre performances and was able to attend a number of events over the past few years. Colleen loved her family and friends. She was an incredibly generous spirit, strong willed, intelligent, independent, and had a great sense of humour. Colleen had grown confident in who she was, what she wanted and lived life her way. It is with great sadness that her journey on this earth was cut too short. Those of us who knew her will greatly miss her presence, humour, kindness, caring, support, and willingness to share her opinions. Colleen was always someone you had on your side and was there whenever you needed her. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed. Colleen was predeceased by her father, Edward Bilawchuk (2008), and is survived by her mother Lucy Bilawchuk, sister Arlene Bilawchuk, brother Brian Bilawchuk, niece Carys Bilawchuk, and nephew Kane Bilawchuk. Colleen leaves behind Aunts, a lot of cousins, and many friends who hold her dear to their hearts. Colleen passed away suddenly on February 28, 2024, and wished for a simple cremation. The family wishes to thank everyone for their kindness, love and support they have received. A Celebration of Life for Colleen will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make donations to the Arthritis Society, National Kidney Foundation, Diabetes Canada, or to your local food bank.