MIKE NENKA

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MIKE NENKA It is with great sadness and grief that we have to announce that our dear husband and father, Mike Nenka, age 72, of Sioux Lookout, ON, passed away surrounded by family at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg on Thursday, November 2, 2006. Mike, the son of Steve and Mary Nenka and the eldest of six siblings, was born on October 21, 1934 in Woodridge, MB and resided on the family farm in Sundown, MB until he reached 18 years of age. From there, Mike moved to Winnipeg and eventually met his future bride and Sioux Lookout Imperial Bank transplant, Helen Bugera. After their courtship, Mike and Helen got married in Winnipeg on June 5, 1965 and shortly after moved to Sioux Lookout. There, they gave birth to their first son John in 1967 and built their family residence at 55 Lakeshore Drive; the same location where the family resides today. Their second son Kevin was born ten years later in 1977. In addition to his wife Helen; sons, John (Brenda) of Sioux Lookout and Kevin of Winnipeg, he leaves to mourn his two brothers, Morris of Surrey, BC and Bobby (Denise) of Calgary; his two sisters, Betty (Nick) of Winnipeg and Edna of Toronto; his three brothers-in-law, Steve, Mike, and Bill Bugera of Sioux Lookout; and numerous nephews and nieces. Mike joins in heaven and is predeceased by his father Steve in 1995; mother-in-law Annie in 1999; brother Paul (Dorilda) in 2000; nephew Rene Nenka (son of Paul) in 2001, and mother Mary in 2001. Mike moved to Sioux Lookout and it quickly became his home. While his wife Helen returned to work at the Sioux Lookout Imperial Bank, Mike started out working as the local milkman and then, in conjunction with his brother-in-law Steve, purchased the local bakery and started delivering bread for Weston's. During his 25 years in the bread business, Mike made numerous friends and became affectionately known to many in the community as Mike the Breadman or Mikey Baby . In addition to the bread business, Mike worked as a part-time caretaker at many of the local offices and at the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart School. Although officially retired from the bread business in 1998, Mike loved to work and became a part-time police cell guard at the local OPP detachment until he became too sick to continue working earlier this year. Outside of work, Mike was a man of simple pleasures and enjoyed more than just about anything else, picking blueberries. When not picking blueberries or mushrooms for hours on end, Mike enjoyed playing crib, darts, bowling, watching / playing baseball (go Blue Jays!) and curling, fishing, and dancing (who could forget his jig?). Mike never stood still and was active in the community, being a proud 3rd and 4th degree knight of the Knight of Columbus as well as a member of the local Rotary Club, Legion, and Seniors Activity Centre. If there were a fundraising ticket to be sold in Sioux Lookout, Mike would be selling it. Cancer was the only thing that could slow Mike down but it never could take away his humour, jokes, and play on words. Even in his final days, he would continue to not only make us laugh, but everyone around us as well. Mike's family would like to thank everyone who helped him through his brave and sometimes astonishing one and half year battle against cancer, including Dr. Len Kelly and the nurses of Sioux Lookout who helped arrange the best treatment possible, Jack and Dorilda for their time and consideration with Mike in the hospital, the nurses of GD-6 in the Health Sciences Centre who took such caring, compassionate, and gentle care of him in his final days, and especially Dr. James Johnston and his nurses Erin and Marilynn of CancerCare Manitoba who did all their best to help and was successful in beating Mike's first cancer down, only to see it reappear transformed a short time later. Prayers and vigil for Mike Nenka will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2006 (7:00 p.m.) at the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home with service at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Friday, November 10, 2006 (10:00 a.m.), Father Mike Mahoney officiating. Interment will follow at the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Pallbearers are Nelson Nenka, Robert Grenier, Terry Korobanik, Marc Saltel, Keanan Yaremchuk and Wayne Carter. The honourary pallbearers are Jack Woychyshyn, Walter Woroniuk, Len Wilson, Mike Harris, Bob Butterfield and Adolph Sabiski. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mike's honour to CancerCare Manitoba c/o the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home, Box 1449, Sioux Lookout, ON, P8T 1B9. We love you and may you forever be dancing and picking blueberries with the angels in heaven.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 07, 2006