EVAN MATTHEW BURCHUK

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EVAN MATTHEW BURCHUK

December 17, 1991 - August 14, 2026

It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of our son Evan Matthew Burchuk on August 14, 2026, just a few months after moving back to Vancouver.

He is survived by his parents, Mike Burchuk and Ruth Klassen. He will be lovingly remembered by his uncles, Boris Prokopowich, Bill Burchuk, Peter Burchuk (Gertie), Wally Burchuk (Jean), Dave Klassen (Irene), Jim Klassen (Deb), and Tom Klassen (Teresa), as well as his aunts, Vicki Kostiuk, Olga Kolochuk, and Susan Unruh (David). Evan will also be mourned by 31 cousins, of which he was the youngest.

In his elementary years, Evan attended Angus McKay and Emerson schools. He continued at John Pritchard Jr. High for two years, and completed grades 9 through 12 at Grant Park High School, graduating in 2009.

Evan connected with some wonderful mentors and organizations throughout his work career. His love for the outdoors was satisfied in various jobs including painting, roofing and concrete…which led to an amazing experience helping to build skateparks across Canada.

His most meaningful recollections related to a position he held for several years at Rain City Housing and Support Society in downtown Vancouver, where he did repairs and maintenance on apartment suites for those who had once been homeless or were moving through stages of transition and recovery. It really warmed his heart to assist and encourage the people living there, who were in turn so deeply grateful that he was attentive and respectful.

Evan’s artistic ability was evident from early on. As soon as he sat down, he would reach for a pen or marker and start doodling and sketching. We were often entertained by his hilarious cartoons that brought so much insight and humour to the ordinary things of life.

In his teenage years, he became fascinated with painting, graffiti and wall murals. Not being a mainstream activity, we were somewhat hesitant at first about his growing interest. However, his descriptions of the history and growth of this worldwide art form and the incredible talent of those who practice it at a high level gave us an appreciation that we would not have gained without him.

As a pre-teen, Evan discovered skateboarding through the Tony Hawk Nintendo game. Within months of getting his first board he saw legendary Winnipeg skater Jason Crawley at an indoor park and a vision for his future was born. With intense focus and determination, he practiced for years until he was skating well enough to be sponsored. In that community, Evan met many friends…several of whom became like older brothers to him. He loved the non-competitive atmosphere and the joy of traveling to various cities where he met and skated with some of the professional skaters he had spent hours reading about in magazines as a kid.

It was an honour and blessing to spend the last precious hours with Evan at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver with some of these loving friends who meant so much to him.

Although we mourn the loss of our beautiful boy, we also thank God and celebrate with the families and friends of the five people whose lives were saved through the generosity of Evan’s gift of organ donation.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mary’s Academy Alumnae Hall, 550 Wellington Crescent (entrance off Stafford) on Saturday Sept. 12, 2026, at 12:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Evan’s memory to the Bruce and Anne Oake Memorial Foundation at https:// www.bruceandanneoakefdn.com.

In care of arrangements



Tributes: friendsfs.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 05, 2026