JOHN (IWAN) DEMKIW

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JOHN (IWAN) DEMKIW With deep sadness we announce the passing on Saturday, December 2, 2017, of our dear Tato, Gido, great Gido, John (Iwan) Demkiw, peacefully with his family at his side, just short of his 94th birthday. Tato is survived by Anna, his wife of almost 70 years; daughter Mary (Dan); sons, Terry (Myrna), Michael (Lana); grand-children, Lee-Anna, Lynn (Eric), Chelsea, Samantha (Mark), Matthew (Josee), Karlene (William), Amy (Jordan), Madison (Cody), Nick, Tristan, Jenna and many great- grandchildren. Tato was predeceased by his parents in the Ukraine and his oldest son George Michael in 2006, which devastated him. He was born January 8, 1924, in Ivano-Frankivsk, Western Ukraine. He was forced to leave his beloved homeland at the age of 18 to go to war. After the war he met our mother, Anna Ucztan, in England. They married in Bradford, England, in 1949. In 1953, they immigrated to Canada and settled in Winnipeg with many friends from camp who shared a similar experience. Tato worked at Swifts Canadian for 25 years until the plant closed in Winnipeg. He then worked at the University of Manitoba for eight years, before retiring at 63. Tato was a strong Ukrainian Catholic, a proud Canadian but never forgot his heritage and Ukrainian roots. He wore his hand-embroidered shirt for all special occasions. He instilled those beliefs into his family and we carried out many traditions from dad's homeland every Christmas and Easter. Tato cherished his family above all else and was terribly proud of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and loved spending time with them. He was a self-taught jack of all trades and would take on any challenge fixing cars, building houses, etc. He was the best role model teaching us that hard, honest work would get you anything you wanted. He and mom travelled throughout Canada and the US, as well as England. He loved the outdoors, gardening, pool parties with all the kids and trips to the lake. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the wonderful staff at the day program of Holy Family Home, where dad and mom attended for eight and one half years. The enjoyment and care they received there in a Ukrainian community extended their lives and they enjoyed each day there. Therefore, when the time came, they wanted to end their lives there. Sadly, Tato only lived at Holy Family for a very short period of time before he became ill, but he passed away there as he wished. We would like to thank Dr. Ted St. Godard from Palliative Care for getting dad back to Holy Family at the end. Tato will always be remembered for his outgoing friendliness, kindness, gentleness and willingness to help. He has left each of us with so many wonderful memories and he taught us to be better people by example. He will be greatly missed. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, December 6 at 10:00 a.m. at Korban Funeral Chapel, 907 Main Street. Vichnaya Pamyat KORBAN FUNERAL CHAPEL (204) 956-2193 www.korbanchapel.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 05, 2017