MERRILL NICHOLAS (BUTCH) WOZNIAK

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MERRILL NICHOLAS (BUTCH) WOZNIAK

1933 - 2023

As gentle as he was, he passed. Merrill Nicholas (Butch) Wozniak passed away on December 14, 2023, with his wife and his son Jon by his side. Butch suffered from dementia for the last seven years and now he is free. The family has happy memories of him recently celebrating his 90th birthday where he even joined in singing Happy Birthday.

He was known as Butch from the age of five despite many attempts to call him otherwise and Merrill Nicholas was only used when he was in trouble.

Butch was born in Winnipeg on November 17, 1933, and raised in the East Kildonan area where he attended school. He was active in hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and baseball. Hockey took him to Thunder Bay and Lethbridge playing in the junior league. In later years he coached hockey and lacrosse and was inducted into the Manitoba Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012. He served on the board of the Manitoba Lacrosse Alumni for many years.

After some minor jobs he joined CN in the car shop and retired as Supervisor in the car shops in 1990.

In 1962 he married Lynda and celebrated 61 years of married life this year. Seven years later, along came son Jonathan and two years later son Philip. It was an active life with both boys playing sports. In 1983 he had a cottage at Hillside Beach built doing a lot of work himself with the help of the boys.

Retirement provided time for Butch and Lynda to travel and they visited England, Scotland, Ireland Germany, Portugal, Malta, China, Greece, Mexico, Canada, and parts of the U.S.

Butch was predeceased by his mother and father Anne and Daniel Wozniak and his brother Donald Wozniak. He is survived by his wife Lynda (nee Hodge), sons Jonathan (Gemma), Philip and Ronald (Lissa); grandchildren Kyle DelaCruz, Kayla DelaCruz, Evan Wozniak, and Jeremy Wozniak.

A family graveside service will be held at a later date.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 23, 2023, Dec 23, 2023