Restauranteur.
Born at Gimli on 3 February 1912 to Theodore F. “Fred” Krymski (?-?) and Anna Siginotowicz (?-?), she grew up at Rembrandt. She eventually married William “Bill” Korolyk (1900-1972) of Dauphin and they made their life together in Winnipeg, having four sons.
In 1957, the couple opened Korol’s Lunch on the corner of Logan Avenue and Keewatin Street. It was a twelve-stool lunch counter, and at the height of its popularity was open until 3 or 4 in the morning, providing fries, burgers, battered fish, and coffee for late-night partiers. People would crowd into the narrow restaurant, standing two and three deep at the counter. Mary’s husband Bill would throw open the doors in winter, letting out clouds of smoke and bringing in fresh air. The Rock-Ola jukebox provided music and a metal icebox kept the soft drinks cold.
The couple lived on the second floor above the restaurant in a suite created by Bill’s handyman skills. After her husband's death, Mary Korolyk kept on with Korol’s Lunch. She prided herself on the homemade food she prepared. Nothing changed in the restaurant over the years—the wooden stools, the worn counter, the cash register, and the jukebox remained. Even into her 90s, she unlocked the doors of her tiny restaurant five days a week, fired up the grill, and waited for a trickle of customers to arrive. It was a routine she had followed for 48 years and employed no staff, except for a period of time in the early years when students were hired to help during peak times. She was not interested in retirement, preferring the company of her patrons. In 2002, she was a participant in a University of Manitoba study on aging.
She died at Winnipeg on 3 February 2002 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Birth registration [Mary Krimski], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary [William Korolyk], Winnipeg Free Press, 8 August 1972, page 29.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 February 2006.
“Still firing up the grill at 90” by Lindor Reynolds, Winnipeg Free Press, 27 January 2002.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 30 January 2024
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