Obituary of John Krushelniski

John Krushelniski of Mission, BC passed away on April 12, 2006 at the age of 65 at Mission Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his loving wife, Sharon Civitarese, of Mission, BC; his three daughters Stephanie Anderson (Rick) and her children Katrina and Adam of Victoria, BC, Laura (Richard) Pistell and their children Larissa and Callum of Terris, BC, and Angela DeVries and her children Zachary and Alexis of Washington State, USA; his loving mother, Mary Krushelniski of Leoville, SK; brothers Mike (Monique) of Leoville, SK, Walter (Terry) of Leoville, SK, Bill (Joan) of Grande Cache, AB, Orest (Verna) of Leoville, SK and Jim (Rose) of Nipawan, SK; sisters Ruth (Wally) Siemens of Saskatoon, SK, Mary Ann (Don) Uebell of Leoville, SK, Doreen (Earl) Christopherson of Leoville, SK and Koreen (Richard) Scott of Saskatoon, SK, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives. John was predeceased by his father, Peter, his grand parents John and Tina Krushelniski and John and Martha Cherniatenski, as well as several aunts and uncles. Eulogy We are here today to celebrate the life of a very special individual, John, known to some as Big John or Krusher. John was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, great uncle, nephew and above all, a true friend to all who knew him. John was the eldest of 10 children, born August 9, 1940 to Peter and Mary Krushelniski. His birth place was on the family farm in the Edward Lake District. Circumstances around his arrival were most unusual! Imagine a time when there were no phones, no power, no TV, no running water, no 911, not even a vehicle in the yard and living 25 km's from the nearest hospital. You really were on your own! Now imagine being 16 years old and 7 months pregnant. Mom had spent 3 days helping haul hay. Then on the 9th, a beautiful sunny morning, she was doing chores in the barn when suddenly she felt stomach cramps. She went outside and sat on a log waiting for the pain to leave. To her surprise, at 7 months, John was born weighing approximately 3 lbs. She held him in her hands, but there was no sign of life. So she laid him down beside her, totally bewildered. She sat there in tears, when suddenly she heard a few whimpers and then a cry. She scooped him up in her arms, covering him with her skirt and brought him to the house. The first few months during the day, John slept in an apple box. At night, he slept in an open dresser drawer. Despite this humble start, he grew to be the tallest in the family. When John was six, the family moved to the Junor District. He went to Pearl School at the age of seven, not knowing a word of English. But he persevered, worked hard and became an excellent student. We lived 1 � miles from school, and walked everyday- rain, snow or 40 below. I still can't believe how we did it! Responsibility, he acquired early in life. At age 8, his first brother, Mike, started school, then, 2 years later I started. He made sure we arrived at school and found our way home. He was our enforcer and Mom's informer. He did farm chores before and after school and spent the evening doing homework by a coal oil lamp. On weekends, we did find time for play. Summer time we played anti-I-over, hop scotch, jack knife and soft ball. We did a lot of nature hiking; we knew where most of the birds' nests were; where the best mushrooms and berries grew and watched the sharp tailed grouse and partridge do their courting dance. Walking 5 or 6 km's at night to visit the neighbors was not unusual. In winter, John built various sleighs and skis so we spent a lot of hours in the snow. Occasionally, if the temperature was 30 F below or warmer, we would take a pair of skates, 2 metal grain scoops, a snow scraper and 3 hockey sticks which John had built and walked a mile through waist deep snow; cleared a patch of ice on the lake and played shinny. The guy wearing the skates put his boots up for goal posts, while he played forward and the other two were defense and goalie. We took turns of the skates and got home well after dark. My feet get cold just thinking about it! Early in life John excelled in track and field events, winning many first place red ribbons. He pitched softball for the school team, helping them win the Unit trophy several times. Later he pitched baseball and went on to play fastball with the North Battleford A Team. When ball was done he took up bowling and golf. In 1960, John completed his high school at Leoville High. Later that year, he started his career in Psychiatric Nursing at the North Battleford Hospital where he attended classes and worked a regular shift. With his first few pay cheques, he bought material and built Mom her first set of kitchen cupboards. Later with Mike's help, they built a 15 foot boat, bought a motor and trailer. Then, whenever John was home, we fished all the local lakes. John's pride and joy was a blue 1957 Plymouth. With this car he had achieved his independence, could come and go as he pleased not depending on anyone; he was in his glory! John was married in February of 1965 and was blessed with three beautiful daughters- Stephanie, Laura and Angela. He started his family in North Battleford, and later moved to Prince Albert to join the nursing staff at the PA Penitentiary. They lived there a few years and then transferred to Abbotsford, BC. After moving there, John was busy raising his family and we were all doing the same, so we didn't see much of John, but he kept in touch with Mom and Dad, always phoning or mailing a card for birthdays, Xmas, Easter and anniversaries. John's girls grew up, married and blessed him with 6 grandchildren: Katrina, Adam, Larissa, Callum, Zachary and Alexis. John adored his children and grand children; he was very proud of them and could hardly wait to bring them to Saskatchewan. In the later years, John made many trips to Saskatchewan, sometimes alone or with some of this family. It was always a big family reunion when he came. He enjoyed playing cards, going to Bingo, auction sales, taking in "refreshments" and discussing current affairs. Didn't matter how late the night before, he was up the next morning, ready to go golfing. John greatly appreciated all his family, friends and life in general. He traveled to many places like Mexico, USA, Italy, Greece, Alaska and even the Ukraine where his parents were born. He was looking forward to retirement, which he did in December of 2005. Just as he arrived prematurely, he left us the same way. He started his life at a time when modern conveniences were few and he lived to a time where conveniences are endless. All that change in just 65 years. The one thing that didn't change in John's life was his love for his family and friends. It has been said that when God closes a door...He opens a window!! We lost a loved one on April 12, 2006 and on April 16, 2006 Grandma was blessed with her 18th great grand child- Karstin John. John was a kind and caring man, and was looking forward to his retirement to spend more time with his family. The funeral service was held on April 22, 2006 in Abbotsford, BC. The grave side service was held on June 11, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. at the Leoville Cemetery with Rev. Fr. Lennard Sabio officiating. The urn bearer was Jim Krushelniski. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.