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Author: Josef Čermák (CzechFolks.com PLUS)

Jarmila Knop (Puchýrová) was born on April 30, 1947 in Nové Město in Moravia, where her uncle Joza and aunt Věra Svítil still live. Reminiscing, after Jarmila’s death, at the recent ‘Zpěvánky’ (an annual musical session) in Nové Město, her class-mate, Blanka Vystrčilová, spoke so eloquently about Jarmila’s childhood and youth, that I can’t resist quoting generously from her remarks:

“A fair-haired little girl, with a satchel on her shoulder, walked to school, hand in hand with her mother. How could it be otherwise? Jarmila’s mother was a teacher at the elementary school. Time rushed by, the little girl was growing up, devoting practically all her free time to sports. She excelled in athletics - throwing a cricket ball or a grenade further than the best among the boys, was a good jumper (both the wide and high jumps), and a good sprinter. In Czechoslovakia, she ranked close to the top in several disciplines.  She was a first class volley-ball player, enjoyed tourism, appreciated the ideals of the Scout organization - her father was a dedicated scout until the organization was banned by the communist regime. In the winter, there were skiing and Sokol classes. It was her father who taught Jarmila to love sports.

Jarmila was gifted musically, she played piano, wrote poetry, and was good at drawing. She managed all her activities and it wasn’t at the school’s expense. She enjoyed geography, math, descriptive geometry and other subjects. She took private classes in German and - it must be added - occasionally played truant. She was an excellent student and, after graduation from the gymnazium (a Czech term for college preparatory high school), enrolled at the university in Brno. She never spoiled any fun on the school trips, potatoes brigades - she was for every ‘wickedness’ - in a good sense. She rode a motorcycle, liked the Saturday night dances; she simply was a fine girl.”

Then - as it happened to so many of her countrymen - she had to leave Czechoslovakia. Her first attempt failed, but the second - via Yugoslavia - was successful. Shortly after her arrival in Canada in 1970, she met, at a volley-ball game, Věra Kořínková and their lives intertwined. They enjoyed sports together. Věra attended Jarmila’s wedding in Montreal in 1972. Every year they organized ‘Zpěvánky’ (in the beginning there were ten music enthusiasts with guitars; in the last several years the attendance grew to thirty singers and musicians playing six or more instruments). Jarka (diminutive for Jarmila) loved ‘tramp’ music and always looked forward to the next ‘Zpěvánky’.

In 1983 Jarmila, Věra and Jiřina Hofmannová gave birth to a volley-ball tournament “PIVO” (the word “pivo” means “beer” but here it serves as an abbreviation for “pinkání v Ontariu” which would loosely translate as “playing volley-ball in Ontario”). The tournament takes place every year. This year’s tournament was attended by ten teams of very good players. Jarmila always looked forward to the activities of a good party with friends - skiing in Quebec or in the Blue Mountains, cross-country skiing in the Huntsville area, or camping at the lovely lakes of Ontario.

Jarmila loved music and drawing. With Jirka Falada she put together a Songbook of popular Czech, Moravian and Slovak songs which she illustrated. These illustrations are to this day admired by lovers of ‘tramp’ music around campfires in Australia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Canada and the USA.

When Jarmila so suddenly died, Věra Kořínková delivered the eulogy at the funeral service, Father Libor Vorčík conducting the religious rites. Věra described Jarmila as “a beautiful, elegant and at the same time modest and sincere woman, who always did things to please others; if she saw that someone needed help, she wouldn’t wait for others but immediately set out to help, herself…a wonderful mother, a devoted partner of her husband Vladimír.”

Věra Kořínek wasn’t the only one who saw Jarmila with admiring eyes. Before this year’s Mother’s Day a woman Jarmila helped to find a job, called the Knop residence to thank Jarmila for her help. When she learned that Jarmila died, she started to cry. It always pleased me to hear that ‘care givers’, the possibly most exploited people in Canada, held Jarmila in the highest regard. Equally admirable is the testimonial of another friend, Jerry (Slávek) Hofmann. He recalls the sporting events they participated in, ‘tramp’ songs, Jarmila’s work with children of her friends, her goodness. And Mirjany and Jan Šebek carry in their hearts memories of “a woman full of zest, sparkling with geniality”.

Let’s go back to the reminiscences with one more quote from the eulogy of Jarmila’s Nové Město class-mate, Blanka Vystrčilová:

“Then the spring of 1990 arrived, and Křička’s words from the Grandma’s favorite waltz “beloved home’s kindly enchatment” worked as a magnet. In May Jarmila returned. She initialed not only her class almanac, but the whole school’s almanac as well; she founded an Association of friends from the gymnazium (her school) for the support of gifted students; and she came up (and it was the work of love) with the idea of Zpěvánky, which we are now attending for the tenth time. It was her idea to publish Zpěvník: she collected songs of all genres, contributed graphic design. Then every year - with love and taste unique to her - she produced ‘Zpěvník’, an album of the songs of the last Zpěvánky, which she brought with her (or sent) the following year. That’s how Jarka (abbreviation for Jarmila) lived - and will always live - in our hearts and minds: a blonde with forget-me-not eyes whom since her childhood lived on the Small Street, looking from her window on the massive linden trees in the Catholic Church courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, close to the church, is a grave with a monument on which there are engraved the signatures of Jarmila’s parents. An hour ago, our class laid flowers on the grave.”

No life is made only of singing, laughter and sport. All of us must earn a living. Jarmila - as many of our women - started her working life in Canada as a housekeeper with a Toronto Canadian family; then worked in a bank and a little later, with Sixty-eight Publishers. Then she went back to school, graduated in biochemistry at the University of Toronto, studied design and worked in an architectonic and design firm. The last fifteen years, she managed her own firm. One could say of her, in a very simplistic fashion, that - in addition to earning a living - she was active in taking care of the health and spiritual well-being of her friends that needed help.

Jarmila and Vladimir have two chilren, Derek and Bianca. In 1986, they were joined in Canada by Jarmila’s brother, Jaroslav Puchýr and his wife (also) Jarmila and children, Jaroslav and Martina.
According to Jarmila’s wishes, her ashes have been spread on the waters of the Georgian Bay where she spent many happy summers with her family and in the company of their best friends. Some of the ashes will be interned in the family grave in Nové Mesto in Moravia, some will go to Bianca in Vancouver and the remainder will stay with Vladimír and Derek in Toronto.

Jarmila’s life will be celebrated in Toronto on September 26, 2009
This year’s PIVO tournament will be dedicated to her memory.

Czech/Slovak Expatriates (1): Dr. Premysl Pelnar HERE

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Česká verze zde

Čeští/slovenští expati (1): Dr. Přemysl Pelnář ZDE

Fotograph: Josef Čermák