ARNOLD E. MONK (ARNIE)

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ARNOLD E. MONK (ARNIE) With deep sadness, the family of Arnold E. (Arnie) Monk wishes to announce his passing at Seven Oaks General Hospital in Winnipeg after a long fight against difficult odds. Arnie leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 55 years Anne; daughters, Maureen and her husband Ian Irvine of St. Albert, AB, Lisa and her husband Scott Brooks; and son Jeff and partner Sue Hemphill all of Winnipeg. As well Arnie's grandchildren, Brett and Adam Brooks and Dixie and Evan Monk already miss their grampa very much. Also surviving Arnie are his sister Florence and brother Richard. Arnie was predeceased by his parents, Molly and Jack Monk of Winnipeg. Remembering Arnie at this time are his extended family, many former Eaton's colleagues, hockey buddies and friends from Kinsmen. Arnold was born November 19, 1927 in Winnipeg and spent his early years in Winnipeg's North and West Ends. From an early age he showed a high degree of interest in hockey and played in the tough outdoor CAKS league. He played for the Hibbing Saints in the 1940's and was eventually deemed skilled enough to be drafted by the Nottingham (England) Panthers. Arnie had already begun two other life journeys by this time-his relationship with his soon-to-be wife Anne and his career at Eaton's beginning in the Optical Department. Upon returning to Canada from his career in England and Europe, he settled into his life with Anne and began his work at Eaton's. He was a diligent and skilled worker showing great aptitude with clients needing personal, specialized care. He always had time for anyone who asked and spent many hours on his own time visiting his many hearing aid clients in their homes ensuring complete satisfaction with their products and their use. He was much more than a hearing aid specialist to his clients; he was their friend and was a friend who cared. Arnie worked for Eaton's for over 40 years and was able to travel extensively with Anne as a member of The Hearing Aid Society of Canada and The International Hearing Aid Society of the U.S. He held various positions in these Associations and made very effort to expand their reach to ensure that the hearing impaired were able to enjoy a fuller life experience through better hearing. Arnie was a dedicated member of The Kinsmen Club and made numerous lifelong friends there. Arnie kept in touch with many of his clients after he left Eaton's, which both surprised and pleased them all. He also remained active in the Hearing Aid Society long into retirement, which allowed him the chance to pass the torch to a new generation of hearing aid specialists. Soon after Arnie and Anne were married the Monk children began to appear. Separated by six years the three children were still able to enjoy many full family vacations including a trip to the wild west of Canada, many memorable stateside sojourns, fishing trips to The Whiteshell and swimming and sunning at Grand and other beaches. Arnie loved to drive his 1966 baby blue Ford Custom 500 to all points beyond the Perimeter with family in tow. He worked hard but fully enjoyed his time off with family. Later in life he also became an avid long distance runner and completed many marathons in Winnipeg, Paris and beyond. Arnie may not have considered himself a religious man yet rarely missed a Sunday service at Christ Lutheran Church. He lived a principled life and believed in the dignity of hard work, discipline and community mindedness. Arnie spent his retirement puttering around his home in Garden City, meeting his former hockey buddies for tea and story-telling, helping his children repair their homes the Shel Busey Way and co-coaching grand children Brett and Adam Brooks at their hockey games, practices and rec-room 2 on 1 pickup games. Grampa was proud of all four of his grandchildren and enjoyed spending as much time as he could with each of them individually as time permitted. Sunday lunches at Grandma and Grampas were times of relaxation, great food and sharing of experiences. Arnie was a man of deep integrity, able to cheer even the smallest successes of his family. Arnie's best wishes to friends and family always came early, usually by mail and with a card including one of his clever yet poignant sayings handwritten inside. The family wishes to thank the staff of Seven Oaks General Hospital ICU and Geriatric Unit 4 for all their unheralded hard work and special care in making Arnie as comfortable as possible in his last few months. We also wish to thank neighbour Ken C. who was in the right place at the right time when Arnie suffered his cardiac arrest. We were grateful that we had Dad even that little bit longer. God Bless you Ken! While many friends and family visited Arnie regularly, his youngest daughter Lisa helped Dad immensely during his hospital stay giving constant loving attention to his appearance and making sure he was comfortable and entertained. Arnie's grandchildren all deserve special mention for their fearlessness and unfailing sense of duty when their grampa was doing poorly. He was indeed their hero and their outpouring of love and respect touched him. His caring spirit lives on in these young people. Cremation has taken place. Prayers will be said Wednesday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main St. and final services for Arnie will again be at Cropo on Thursday, August 31 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor T. Chell officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be Don Keller, John Perry, Norman Red Mann, Jeff Monk, Ian Irvine and Scott Brooks. Flowers are gratefully declined and the family would like to suggest a donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Seven Oaks General Hospital. CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 29, 2006