KEITH WURTAK

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KEITH WURTAK August 31, 1968 - January 28, 2011 Suddenly, tragically, Keith Wurtak of Warren, Manitoba, died on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. as he was returning from work to his beloved seven acre piece of heaven, where he lived with his family. He is survived by his wife and soulmate of 17 years, Carla, their four children, Jacob, Jordin, Aiden and Melanie, his parents, Stuart and Annette Wurtak of Ashern, his sister Lesley (Bob), children Cailey (Brent), Braedy, Sari (Chad) and son, and Catlin, sister Lark and daughter Savanna, the twins, Krystal (Dwayne) and Kenneth (Katie) and their daughter Eliana, his parents-in-law, Jake and Margaret Pankratz, brother-in-law Curtis (Sharon) as well as numerous aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. Keith was predeceased by grandparents George and Alice Boucher, Walter and Mary Wurtak, and sister-in-law, Melanie Pankratz Keith enjoyed life immensely and he loved his wife and family passionately. His face seemed fixed with a permanent smile. He had a work ethic that was virtually unmatchable. He would rarely be seen simply walking from one spot to another. He seemed to move with a constant jog to get around, whether going from one station to another as floor foreman at KalTire, or whether needing to get a tool from his shop on the farm to make a repair in the Quonset or elsewhere. Eight years ago when he and his family moved out to the farm site, for the first year before they purchased a riding mower, he thought nothing of cutting about three acres of grass with a push mower, hours at a time, especially if his four children and their dog Digby were romping around somewhere on the yard. Years later, he managed to obtain an old, very used bobcat which he somehow repaired and maintained. Snow drifts were a problem on the approach roads to his property, and when the municipality seemed a little stressed in clearing them during heavy snow storms, he would go out with his bobcat and clear a lane so that traffic could get through. His neighbours told him he should bill the municipality. This thought gave him pause to smile even more. Earlier, while employed at Sections Only , a tire retreading plant for tires of really big mining machines, he was enlisted on two occasions to go to Kyrgyzstan to help a company from Saskatoon set up a retread plant on site of the highest mining operation anywhere in the world, a goldmine on the mountains near Bishkek. He needed to communicate with mine workers who spoke no English and whose language was completely foreign to Keith. Communication was facilitated through sign language, through modelling and demonstration, and through the mutual development of a variety of strategies that Keith and the mine employees collaboratively established, earning each other's respect. The loss of this family man has caused excruciating pain to his family, relatives and friends. He will be missed immeasurably! Funeral Services will be held at Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church, Sargent and Garfield on Monday, February 7 at 11:00 a.m. with interment to follow at the church cemetery in Springstein. For those who are unable to attend the funeral, a viewing with short devotional will be held Sunday, February 6 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Friends Funeral Service, 2146 Main Street. In lieu of flowers, please consider support for an Education Trust Fund for the children, facilitated through any branch of the Crosstown Civic Credit Union.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 05, 2011