Obituary of Alex Stephen Woytuck

The family of Alex Woytuck are saddened to announce his sudden passing on September 26, 2007 in his home at the age of 84 years. He was the third son of Stephen and Tekla Woytuck (nee Satz) and was born in Czechi Poland on April 1st, 1923. The family immigrated to Canada on March 28th, 1927 landing in Halifax. With the promise of a � section of CPR land in Cando, Saskatchewan, the family boarded a train and thus life began in Canada. Life was not easy and much hard work was needed just to survive. They had found that the land hadn't been cleared and there was no house. Just building a shelter for the family, which had grown to 5 with the birth of a sister, Lydia, was a priority. Many burdens were borne by the family - the tragic deaths of Michael, just 2 years old from Diphtheria, and in the same year the death of his mother Tekla, in childbirth. The young widower Stephen married Mary Lewochko and the family grew in size with the birth of sons, John and Walter, and daughters Anne and Rachel. Education was not a priority. With less work to be done in winter, Alex went to school and did eventually complete his 8th grade. Extra hands were always needed - foremost in the nursery, but also in the fields and the 3 acre garden always needed hoeing and weeding. The crowing of the rooster signaled it was time to bring the cows in and get them milked, to feed the calves , chickens, geese and pigs. Horses needed to be harnessed for either plowing the fields, clearing stones and stumps or on Sundays to be hitched to a wagon to take them to church in Lizard Lake, 4 miles away. With little or no money to have machinery repaired, Alex undertook to fix anything that broke. This early training stood him in good stead and he could be found in the area working for neighbors and eventually led to his career in construction. With the harsh conditions of the Dirty Thirties, the Lake that was the lifeline for the family in Cando dried out. Alex's father was counseled to relocate to Prongua. With the purchase of the Swon Farm and its � mile long lake in 1944, the family prospects improved greatly. The lovely home with indoor plumbing and a kitchen pump that brought water from the spring fed well meant a few less chores. Winters saw Alex heading off to Carrot River with his brother Nick where they worked in a saw mill for the Pas Lumber Company. Another year, accompanied by his uncle Nestor Lewochko saw him working for a paper mill in Ocean Falls B.C. where it seemed that it rained every day. Too young to join the Army during WWII, Alex worked for many farmers who were busy raising pigs and cattle as part of the war effort to feed our army and to send food to the starving Brits. Alex's love of the outdoors led to many fishing and hunting trips with his brothers George and Nick. Baseball was a popular pastime and Alex , a good catcher, joined the Drummond Creek Baseball Team . It was his elder brother George who introduced him to the newly arrived neighbor's daughter, Maria Nakonechny, who only spoke Ukrainian. After a short courtship, Alex and Maria were married in North Battleford in 1952. Alex and Maria started their married life on a section of rented land 1 mile north from his father's farm. With the arrival of his first son, Allan, Alex soon made some major changes to support his growing family. First he moved to North Battleford and then he purchased a caterpillar. Between construction work and clearing land for farmers in the area, Alex had found a new career. He kept very busy doing custom work for farmers and working with his cat. He went as far as the Yukon to work with heavy equipment. Alex was a hard worker and in doing so, looked after his family. Their second son, David, was born; all the more reason to provide for his family. His wife, Maria, passed away in 1985 and he later decided to move to Leoville. Alex was close to the lakes that he enjoyed and also close to the area that provided him with plenty of hunting possibilities. He understood nature and was patient and instinctively knew the good days for fishing. Alex was a master angler who was able to teach many of his friends his methods. He received many awards which he was proud of. Alex will be dearly missed by all those who shared his passion for the outdoors. Alex is lovingly remembered by his sons Al Woytuck of Kelowna, BC and his children Larissa Woytuck of Red Deer, AB, Chris Woytuck of Red Deer, AB; Dave Woytuck of Kelowna, BC and his children Jody (Cam) Pichler of Kelowna BC and their children Tyler, Brandon and Nicholas, Jason Woytuck of Calgary, AB and Melody Woytuck of Calgary, AB; his brothers Nicholas (Lydia) Woytuck of Kelowna, BC and Walter (Myrna) Woytuck of Olds, AB; his sisters Lydia Dolinski of St. Catherine's, ON, Ann (Leo) Korownyk of Edmonton, AB and Rachel (Nick) Sitko of Shushwap, BC; his sisters in-law Ruby Woytuck of Sherwood Park, AB and Elaine Woytuck of Sherwood Park, AB as well as numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by His wife Maria (1985), his parents Stephen and Tekla Woytuck, his brothers George and John, and his brother in-law Michael Dolinski. The memorial service was held on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 2 p.m. from the Battlefords Funeral Service Chapel in North Battleford, SK with Delores Beaulac as the Funeral Celebrant. Honorary pall bearers were all relatives and friends who shared in Alex's life and the urn bearers were his sons Al and Dave Woytuck. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association Box 26331 Stn. BRM B Toronto, ON M7Y 4R1. Alex was laid to rest with his wife in the North Battleford City Cemetery.