JOHN WAWRYKOW

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JOHN WAWRYKOW 1933 - 2013 On Saturday, August 31, 2013, John passed away at the Grace General Hospital at the age of 80 years. John will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by his wife Christina (nee Pikor); daughters Deb (Craig) and Cathy (Kevin); grandchildren Jenna and Thomas; brother Bill and family; and many other nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents Ivan and Ludwiga (nee Kerlyuk); and his siblings Lea, Mary, Sam, Alec, and Dan. Born in Gimli, Manitoba on Friday, January 13, 1933, John always had an independent and curious outlook on life. After leaving the family farm to attend secondary school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he went on to work in a variety of interesting jobs that took him around the country from Coral Harbour, Nunavut to Thunder Bay, Ontario. John met Christina in Dorion, Ontario; they married in Thunder Bay in 1968 and then moved to Winnipeg, where he had a long career as the supervisor of electrical maintenance for the Winnipeg International Airport. John possessed a very dry and pun-ny sense of humour, and rarely missed an opportunity to tease his family. Incredibly intelligent, he was an example of lifelong learning: he earned his glider pilot's license, played guitar, travelled to Trinidad and Tobago on nothing short of a whim, and taught himself to play the organ and run long distance (skills shared with Deb). John also taught his daughters how to ride bicycles, fold paper airplanes, help animals, and solder circuit boards (useful to Cathy in later Halloween costume building). He enjoyed the outdoors, including camping with the family, canoeing at La Barriere Park, and digging a giant garden for Christina so she could grow vegetables and flowers. Organized and quick-witted, John meticulously planned family road trips to Dorion, Gimli, and Vancouver, BC, enjoyed epic games of Monopoly, Scrabble, and chess, and read the Windows operating system manual from cover to cover (seriously, he did). Both John and Christina shared a strong connection in their Catholic faith. Long-time parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, John also served as the audio technician for the church while Christina sang in the choir. Funeral Mass will be celebrated in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 4588 Roblin Boulevard at Grant Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, on Friday, September 13, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Msgr. Maurice Commeault P.H., presiding. A private family interment will be held in Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery, 3990 Portage Avenue. Thank you to Msgr. Maurice Comeault and Heather Ryczak of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Chaplain Major Gordon Jarvis and the 3rd floor staff of Grace General Hospital, and Cindy at Deer Lodge Centre for their care and support. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 200 - 6 Donald Street, Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6. Winnipeg Funeral Director, Richard Wojcik of Wojcik's Funeral Chapel & Crematorium, 2157 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB in care of arrangements, 204 - 897 - 4665, wojciksfuneralchapel.com.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 07, 2013