JOHN JOSEPH ZYLAK

Condolences & Memories (9 entries)

• John was my upstairs neighbour on Canora Street for over 17+ years. He loved music. I’d head up to his cool little bachelor pad and listen to his unique music collection or we’d have an occasional jam session. He was very eccentric! But super kind. One night I had a date with a young hot blond and my car wouldn’t start so John lent me his jeep Cherokee to pick her up. Sometimes he come down and bang on my door and yell at me and say “Turn off that damn song you’ve had on loop for 2 hours now”! I didn’t blame him! We traded food supplies. If he was low on milk or I was low on olive oil I could always count on John having something. Was a great neighbour to have because he was just super interesting. I eventually moved out in 2016 and moved to San Diego and he retired and moved back home to be with his mom. - Posted by: Shauncy Gree (Upstairs neighbor and friend for 17+ years) on: Sep 02, 2023

• I met John in Thunder Bay in 1982 where we were studying at Confederation College. I was a composer/synthesizer and keyboard player, John played the guitar and saxophone. We made several recordings together from 82-84. We listened to music all the time and had many conversations about music. Sorry you are gone too soon. - Posted by: Tim Howe (friend) on: Oct 27, 2022

• It’s unreal to hear that Mr. Zylak has passed away. He made the library at Sisler a warm and welcoming place when we needed a place to go and really loved making connections with his students. I didn’t get a whole lot of time with Mr. Zylak as he retired in my grade 10 year but I’m grateful for the time that I did. I remember during my spares, he showed me how to use the school’s circulation system, made book recommendations if I couldn’t find something to read and those moments were something I never forgot. Those interactions with Mr. Zylak encouraged me to go to college and become a school librarian myself to build relationships with students, promote reading and make my own library a fun and welcoming space. You will be missed Mr. Zylak, thank you for everything! - Posted by: Chelsea Pietryka (Former Student at Sisler) on: Oct 21, 2022

• I became friends with John in the late 90's early 2000 at Sisler High School. I had taught for close to eight years at the school before we connected in the library. He was an amazing, incredible, somewhat eclectic guy. Always curious about everything and such a decent modest guy. He possessed a vast knowledge of Pop culture & music: bands, players, their various transformations, their hits. He also had a great appreciation for painters, writers, poets, - artists of any kind really- and ironically loved to say he preferred reading magazines and newspapers over books. He was a musician after all. And he was the first foodie I ever met way before the idea or concept became a thing. He loved Italian food and espresso-Deluca's on Portage a favorite of his and burgers at the Whip on Marion; I recall him recounting with fondness his trip to Italy and how much he loved the espresso. We went out more than once for drinks over the years. What a laugh; it was loud and exuberant like thunder and followed by a quiet ear to ear smile and an impish sparkle in his eyes. His modesty stood out. So did his overall good nature, his playness & fun; his love of life. Sad to hear of his passing. - Posted by: Carmelo Militano (Friend) on: Oct 18, 2022

• Thank you dear "zodiak" for the fond memories. - Posted by: Bruce Lloyd Johnson (Colleague and friend) on: Oct 18, 2022

• Since hearing of his passing, floods of memories of the great times I've had with John over the years have come back to me. From seeing James Brown at the ballpark, Otis Rush at The Forks, grabbing a bite to eat at some of his favorite diners, browsing record and CD shops or just having a few beers and listening to tunes at his place, there were plenty of good ones. I met John through my brother Todd when John was still working as the audio-visual technician at Sisler High School in the late 1980's. We hit it off right away due to our common interest in music, mainly soul and rhythm & blues. When my friend Justin and I formed a band in the early 1990's John was always there to lend us recording equipment and instruments. He even gave us the keys to his apartment for a place to record while he was at work. He really encouraged us even though I don't think he ever really liked the music we made. He must have felt a kinship to us slightly younger, fellow musicians because I later learned he moved to Winnipeg with a band he was in himself back in the 1980's. That band didn't last long, but he remained here in Winnipeg most of his life. In the late 1990's, after many nights of listening to old soul records through the years, John and I decided to start an internet radio program we dubbed The Soul Shack, which finally debuted in 2001. This show lasted for 6 years. We produced 162 episodes during that time. The show even briefly appeared on radio stations in Winnipeg, South Carolina and even West Yorkshire in England, among other places. The show is still out there in cyberspace for anyone who cares to listen. Late in the last decade, after his retirement as the librarian at Sisler, John moved back to his hometown of Thunder Bay. We kept in touch mainly through emails but always enjoyed reminiscing and of course talking about music. John did not like fanfare or praise. It was just not the kind of guy he was, but honestly, he really was a true original. Anyone who ever took the time to know him will never forget him. I certainly won't. Every time I hear Jimi Hendrix play the blues or James Brown get funky, I will think of him. His generosity and influence have impacted me greatly and I let him know it during his final years. I am truly glad I knew him. He was a great friend, and I will miss him a lot. - Posted by: Scott Relf (Friend) on: Oct 18, 2022

• John was my roommate and friend in the mid 80’s . We reconnected in the past year and I was aware of his struggles with cancer. But throughout his illness, he kept his positive outlook. We sure had a lot of fun : thank you John for these wonderful memories that I will continue to cherish. Rest in peace mon ami!! - Posted by: Mariette Mulaire (Friend) on: Oct 15, 2022

• John retired from the Winnipeg School Division several years ago to take care of his elderly mother. He was proud of the story of how his parents, forced labour immigrants sent to Nazi Germany, had met and survived to raise a family in Canada. John’s descriptions of growing up on McIntosh Street in Port Arthur’s multi-ethnic melting pot were fascinating ones. John’s Polish was not very good, but he loved using it. While John played with many of Winnipeg’s best musicians in the 1980s he was more comfortable in the practice hall above Cinema 3 than on any stage. Many thought him the best guitarist in Winnipeg that no one had ever heard play. He and his friend Scottie often played their encyclopaedic music collections on obscure parts of the early internet. Trained at Red River as a library technician John worked at Sisler High School for many years. He was often stopped in restaurants and stores by former students with fond memories of their interactions with him. John spent many years in his third-floor apartment across from Vimy Park. Before that he had lived in rented houses with many roommates, all of them with funny stories to tell. John had eclectic interests, from his garage sale finds to finding hole-in-the-wall diners. Luda’s was a favourite of his. He knew Winnipeg’s historic lunch counters long before they were all torn down. John was a rolling stone, changing his interests and groups of friends every decade, forever younger at heart than his contemporaries. John was a good son who outlived all of the kids he grew up with. The Bay was a hard town but John was never hardened by it. I am sure I only knew only part of his life. Many of you probably have stories of him to tell as well. - Posted by: David Watson (friend) on: Oct 15, 2022

• I am very to hear of John's passing. We had known each other since the late 1980s. John was a good natured fellow and very knowledgeable on many subjects. We connected mainly on music. I have fond memories of discussing music for hours on end while drinking pots of coffee at Johnny's on Marion. Condolences to the family. - Posted by: Marcel Soulodre (friend) on: Oct 15, 2022