VICTOR JASPER

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VICTOR JASPER 1933 2011 After a courageous battle with cancer, Victor (Jasiulionis) Jasper left this earth and entered the gates of heaven on January 14, 2011. He was predeceased by his parents Sally and Louis Jasiulionis and by his wife of 44 years, Darlene Jasper (nee Mark). Victor leaves behind his partner of eight years, Doris De Ryck and also his children Toni Jasper; Greg (Kim) Jasper; Grant (Laury) Jasper; and Sue (Graeme) McGinnis. He also leaves to mourn his grandchildren: Anton (Shar); Mark (Laurissa) and Hayly Smerchanski; Kellen (Britainy), Shaun (Chantel) and Darryl Jasper; Hunter and Raegen McGinnis - as well as his great-grandchildren: Braydon and Michael Jasper; Ashley (Sims-Smerchanski) and Haven and Halo Smerchanski. He also leaves sisters Stacia (Penny) Esaruk and Ruth (Mike) Skwark, and brother-in-law Ken Mark and sister-in-law Marge Mark. Victor also had a loving extended family - Brad, Todd and Trevor (Charlotte) De Ryck and boys Ben and Daniel. Whether it was through his booming deep voice, his hilarious story and joke-telling or his striking good looks (oh, that white, white hair and those gorgeous blue eyes!), Victor was always the centre of attention at any gathering. He loved to play the crowd, telling stories of his family and his youth that kept people laughing and endeared him to everyone. Yet he always called it as he saw it - sparing no one from his quick wit and sarcasm. Even though it stung a little, you tended to love him even more. Victor was everyone's protector and played the role of dad to the nth degree. Whether he yelled at you for going out in the cold after having a shower or slipped you a few dollars when you couldn't make ends meet (or just because ) or made you one of his delicious breakfasts - he was really, always saying the same thing: I love you. He delighted in procuring cars for his children and grandchildren (and heaven forbid if you didn't keep them clean.) He was the master of the deal, enjoying the game of negotiating a price and happy for months if he could make a deal worth bragging about. During his 34 year career (1955 - 1989) with the Winnipeg Police Service, he believed in keeping the streets safe - and he did so with vigour. Perhaps his greatest career legacy, however, was in how he mentored other police officers - demanding excellence and hard work. To this day, many will say, he was the toughest man I ever worked for but he made me the best cop I could be. He had many friends - developed over the course of his lifetime - and kept them all entertained with his practical jokes, his fantastic greek ribs , his hospitality and a wicked game of cribbage. He loved a good drink - but loved the camaraderie attached to it even better. Above all else, though, Victor was dedicated to his family. He used to tell his children that he wanted to set up a plot of land like Southfork in Dallas so that his whole family could live together. Once the families got bigger and noisier - he quickly abandoned this idea, content to have everyone be around him at his home, his cottage or during special occasions - particularly weddings because he loved to dance so much. He laughed when we laughed; wept when we wept; and yelled at us repeatedly to be sure we were taking care of ourselves, being safe and staying healthy. Victor loved to spend time with close friends, golf, dance, fish, work with his many, many tools and spend time at his cottage. In later years, he learned to curl and joined Doris in a local curling league. Words cannot express how much we will miss him, nor how much we learned from him, nor how much we love him. Special thanks to Todd De Ryck for his tender caring and assistance to Victor. Special thanks also to the wonderful people at Cancercare (particularly Sue Bates) and St. Boniface Palliative Care. Funeral services will be held at Eastview Community Church, 3500 DeVries Ave., East St. Paul (next to Legion #215 where Dad loved to dance with Doris), on Thursday, January 20 at 1:00 p.m. Winnipeg Police Services Chaplain Devon Clunis to officiate. Flowers gratefully declined but we urge you to donate to Cancer Care Manitoba or the charity of your choice (like the Canadian Museum for Human Rights). Funeral Arrangements are being handled by Mosaic Funeral Services, www.mosaicfunerals.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 18, 2011