WILLIAM JOHN SCHADEK

Adjust Text Size: A+ A-

WILLIAM JOHN SCHADEK Peacefully, with his wife by his side, it is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Bill on October 2, 2000 at St. Boniface Hospital after a lengthy battle with cancer. Bill was born on October 29, 1947. He lived in Winnipeg all his life. Bill was predeceased by his father, Bill Schadek. He leaves to mourn his wife and best friend of 22 years, Jan Gordon: his mother Muriel Schadek: his sister Ruth Schadek and her son Aaron: his brother Allan Schadek and his wife Debbie and his sister Patty Schadek-Parsons and her husband Jim as well as aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews. He also leaves his mother-in-law, Ida Loader: son-in-law Russ Loader and his family of Vancouver. A special thank you to Bill and Jans dear friend Elizabeth Clayton for her incredible support through some very tough times. Bill lived most of his life wandering about with a backpack of books, gathering the wisdom and vision of the great thinkers and seers, both first hand, and through his readings. His taste was grand and eclectic, and he amassed a huge personal collection of cultural ephemera, lovingly tolerated by his gracious wife and intellectual sparring partner, Jan Gordon, who will always love him. They enjoyed a very dynamic relationship full of dinner dates and lively discussions. Many happy summers were spent camping at West Hawk Lake in their trailer where friends often joined them. Their domestic collective eventually expanded to include an assortment of small animals including Cockatiels Plume and Feather, Gerbil Vermin, and dogs Maxie (deceased October 1999) and Angus. Many people will miss Bill, including his friends, old and new, the proprietors of book and comic shops, librarians, and the staff and residents of the group home where Bill worked for 18 years, leaving after it closed in January 2000. Part of Bills legacy is all the young people he befriended at the group home, teaching them the skills they would need to reach their potential, such as compassion and kindness for others. He enriched the lives of many of his "kids" at work and would often speak of how much he enjoyed being able to work with them. Bill appreciated this natural world, and was the first person we ever heard refer to God as a Woman. He saw the beauty in everything and found that beauty and magic existed in all kinds of people. The brave and proud and enthusiastic and fair and sincere. Bill extended kindness to all living things. He loved gardening and his respect for life in all its diversity extended even to bugs---a man who would deftly and delicately trap and usher out insects from his home rather than swat them. Bill and his family would like to express a heartfelt thank you and appreciation to all at the Palliative Care Unit at St. Boniface Hospital who helped us through the last few weeks. When Bill was brought there, he looked around and said that it was beautiful and he felt like he belonged there. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bills memory may be made to the St. Boniface Hospital Research Foundation. (Palliative Care Unit, Dd 1003-409 Tache Ave., Winnipeg MB. R2H 2A6). At Bills request, cremation has taken place and a private gathering to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, October 7. THOMSON FUNERAL CHAPELS 783-7211

Make a donation to

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 07, 2000