THOMAS NICHOLAS DAWYDUK

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THOMAS NICHOLAS DAWYDUK At his residence in Fort Frances, Ontario, on August 25, 2013, Thomas Nicholas Dawyduk passed away at the age of 61. Tom was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on March 3, 1952 to William and Louise Dawyduk. He grew up in Winnipeg, where he attained his Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Manitoba. Tom went on to complete his Masters of Social Work at McMaster University in Hamilton in 1983. Tom began laying his roots in Fort Frances in the late 1970s. In 1980, he met Barb Houlden, the love of his life. Barb supported Tom throughout his career, initially with Family and Children's Services (where they met) and through to his teaching years at Confederation College. Tom and Barb were married in November, 1983 and shared the joy of raising their son Jamie who was born in 1989. Tom and Jamie shared the grief of losing Barb, who passed away suddenly in 2009. Besides Jamie, Tom is survived by his mother Louise, brothers Steve, Richard (Lesly) and Gary (Eileen) of Winnipeg, father-in-law Fred Houlden of Winnipeg, mother-in-law Ruth Jacobs of Fort Frances, sisters-in-law Susan Martin (Barry) of Fort Frances and Kathi Cridland of Saskatoon. Tom will also be remembered by nephew Nikolas Dawyduk and niece Anna Dumas (Geoff) of Brandon, Manitoba, Ryan Street (Melissa and daughters Haley and Teagin), Jarrod Street (Michelle and son David), Neil Martin (Lisa and son Nelson) of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ian Martin of Oakville, Ontario and Chez-Lyse Cridland of Saskatoon. Tom was predeceased by his wife Barb, his father William, brother Bob, and brother and sister-in-law John and Ingrid. Tom's wide intellectual interests made him a voracious reader, and while he was always willing to engage in serious discussion, he especially reveled in heated arguments. His ideas were always deeply rooted in understanding their practical implications. This emerged in his passions for social work and education. Cremation has taken place. A memorial celebration of Tom's life will be held at Green Funeral Home, Fort Frances, on Friday, August 30, 2013 at 2:00p.m. Tom's nieces and nephews will act as honorary pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom's memory to the charity of your choice. Online condolences may be offered at www.greenfuneralhomefortfrances.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Aug 29, 2013