JOHN WAWRYKOW
1933-2013
On
Saturday, August 31, 2013 John passed away at the Grace General Hospital at the
age of 80 years.
John
will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by his wife Christina (nee
Pikor); daughters Deb (Craig) and Cathy (Kevin); grandchildren Jenna and
Thomas; brother Bill and family; and many other nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was predeceased by his parents Ivan and Ludwiga (nee Kerlyuk); and his
siblings Lea, Mary, Sam, Alec, and Dan.
Born
in Gimli, Manitoba on Friday, January 13, 1933, John always had an independent
and curious outlook on life. After leaving the family farm to attend secondary
school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he went on to work in a variety of interesting
jobs that took him around the country from Coral Harbour, Nunavut to Thunder
Bay, Ontario. John met Christina in Dorion, Ontario; they married in Thunder
Bay in 1968 and then moved to Winnipeg, where he had a long career as the
supervisor of electrical maintenance for the Winnipeg International Airport.
John
possessed a very dry and pun-ny sense of humour, and rarely missed an
opportunity to tease his family. Incredibly intelligent, he was an example of
lifelong learning: he earned his glider pilot’s license, played guitar,
travelled to Trinidad and Tobago on nothing short of a whim, and taught himself
to play the organ and run long distance (skills shared with Deb). John also
taught his daughters how to ride bicycles, fold paper airplanes, help animals,
and solder circuit boards (useful to Cathy in later Halloween costume
building). He enjoyed the outdoors, including camping with the family, canoeing
at La Barriere Park, and digging a giant garden for Christina so she could grow
vegetables and flowers. Organized and quick-witted, John meticulously planned
family road trips to Dorion, Gimli, and Vancouver, BC, enjoyed epic games of
Monopoly, Scrabble, and chess, and read the Windows operating system manual
from cover to cover (seriously, he did).
Both John and Christina shared a strong
connection in their Catholic faith. Long-time parishioners of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Church, John also served as the audio technician for the church
while Christina sang in the choir. Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Our Lady
of Perpetual Help Church, 4588 Roblin Boulevard at Grant Avenue, Winnipeg, MB,
on Friday, September 13, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Msgr. Maurice Commeault
P.H., presiding. A private family interment
will be held in Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery, 3990 Portage Avenue.
Thank
you to Msgr. Maurice Comeault and Heather Ryczak of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church, Chaplain Major Gordon Jarvis and the 3rd floor staff of Grace General
Hospital, and Cindy at Deer Lodge Centre for their care and support.
In
lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke
Foundation, 200 – 6 Donald Street, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6.
Winnipeg
Funeral Director, Richard Wojcik of Wojcik’s
Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 2157
Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB in care of
arrangements, 204 – 897 – 4665, wojciksfuneralchapel.com.
Wojcik’s
FUNERAL CHAPEL & CREMATORIUM
2157 PORTAGE AVENUE
204 – 897 - 4665
www.wojciksfuneralchapel.com
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