Julia Slepyan

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt, Julia Slepyan, peacefully at Villa Colombo Homes For the Aged.

Grandma was born on January 20, 1932 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Russia. At age nine, she was evacuated from the city with her parents and sister on the last train before the German forces encircled the city in the siege of Leningrad. The family spent a month on the train before they reached Omsk, in southern Siberia, where the tank factory that her father was evacuated with was set up.

Grandma spent most of her life in Omsk, working as a Russian-English translator at an aircraft factory, where she met her husband, Boris Davidovich, with whom she had my mother, Irina Pyryeskina (née Davidovich). After Boris passed away at age 47, my grandma raised my 17 year old mother by herself. After six years of separation as our family got on our feet in a new country, she joined us in Canada in 2008.

Grandma was a loyal, kind, dedicated friend and was surrounded by close friends whose friendships she cherished for decades. Her friends, their children and grandchildren have become friends and family to my mother’s and my generation. Her best friend, Faina Gurvitch, was a second mother and grandmother to our family. The granddaughter of her other close friend, Tamara Palei, became the mother of her great-grandchildren.

Grandma took her grandchildren to Chelyabinsk every summer to visit her sister and her family at the garden (what we called the dacha). She was an unconditionally loving and warm grandmother who raised her grandchildren in the safety of her acceptance and support. She was fortunate to meet and spend time with her great-grandchildren, Hanna and Isabelle. She is forever missed, cherished and loved.

Grandma’s family, friends and extended community are welcome to her celebration of life on Saturday, January 24th, 2026 at 2pm. Please contact me for details at julia.pyres@gmail.com.