Obituary of John Ziniewicz

John Ziniewicz Born in Setnik, Poland on January 15, 1926. Departed on May 2, 2010 and resided in Lloydminster, Alberta. John will be sadly missed by his wife Lucy of Lloydminster; children: Gary and Elaine Ziniewicz, Julie and Ken Storozhenko, Delores and Bernard Roth; twelve grandchildren as well as many relatives and friends. John was predeceased by his father Stephan, mother Alexandra and older brother Walter. Service was held May 7 at All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Lloydminster, Rev. Father Michael Maranchuk of Vegreville officiating. Active Pallbearers were Grandsons Christopher Storozhenko, Shawn Storozhenko, Alex Ziniewicz, Ben Roth, Frank Roth and Johnathan Storozhenko. Honorary Pallbearers were Peter Ference, Steve Gooch, Donna Pietrusik, Milly Pietrusik, Mike and Marie Kokoski. Interment followed in Lloydminster City Cemetery. Donations in memory of John may be made to the Dr. Cooke Patient Comfort Fund or to a charity of the donors choice. Husband, Father, Grandpa, Brother, Son, Uncle, friend and ultimately a man who had the most influence on the person I became passed away on May 2. My father, John Ziniewicz, was born in the small village of Sitnek, Poland on Jan 15, 1926. He was the youngest of two children, born to Stephan and Alexandra. Dad grew up on small farm with his older brother Walter. When Dad passed he was 84 years old. It has been written that the loss of a parent is one of life's most traumatic events. I've been told that, in time, the hurt will fade, only to be replaced by positive memories, which soothe the soul. Already, I can feel that happening, since I know Dad is at peace. Farming was Dad's passion and in his blood, raising cattle, pigs and grain. The calendar and weather dictated what needed to be done. It seemed that machinery was always a problem. Dad would never consider buying new, used was always better value. In the spring there were issues with the seed drill. In the fall both swather and combine needed parts. No matter how late Dad was with seeding come fall his crops were always ripened and the envy of the neighbours. Mike Kokoski was always there to help Dad with anything that needed fixing on the farm or just to be a friend to trade stories with. Dad was always on his own time. You knew if you went to the post-office with him and stayed in the truck it would be a long wait. On his way to Box-535, he inevitably met someone and just started a conversation. It could have been about how the crop looked or the weather and it just went from there. When you went looking for him to move things along , he was usually a long way from Box-535. Dad had a compassionate and benevolent side to him. When a homeless farm hand had no place to stay, Dad made room for him in our old farm house. He gave him work feeding cattle, a place, to stay, and provided food. Being a farmer, Dad's thoughtfulness extended to even to the stray cats who found refuge under the old farm shed. Dad bought them dry food to keep them mousing and joked that they were his hired hands, deserving of a good tax deduction. Dad wore many hats in his long life. He was a farmer, an entrepreneur, who developed and owned Sunnyside Trailer Court and Service Station. Was a Lumberjack in Edson during winters to help sustain the family farm with Grandpa Stephan. Worked for Swifts as a cattle buyer and later ran Lloyd Co-Op feed-mill. Dad was always respected and successful with every role he took on. Customers and acquaintances always had to partake in some verbal jousting when they crossed paths with John. His outgoing personality always made him a winner. Dad's book keeper for many years was Frank Turvey, when he bought and sold pigs and cattle for Swift's. As kids it was always a treat to visit the Turvey Service Station, pick up some bagged feed, and work the old glass top pumps. Dad would always fill up his car there. We kids were good for about 5 gallons, and then Dad would begrudgingly have to take over and finish the job. Dad did not have many hobbies, but he and Mom loved to go ice-fishing once Laurier Lake froze over. It was a family affair with Mom, and kids. We would usually meet up with Uncle Bill Babey, Uncle John Zeschuk and Uncle Sam & Mary Plandowski. Dad did not believe that there should be limit on how many fish you could catch. Even though the limit was 30 perch and they were biting, Dad felt if your travel 90 minutes to get to lake you should be entitled to keep at least that many fish. Thankfully the Fish Cops never caught up to him. Dad was a whiz at arithmetic. Multiplying and dividing big numbers in his head was a specialty. As kids we were amazed how quickly he could give you an answer to a school problem without putting pencil to paper. Dad believed in the value of education. I still remember him telling me "If you have an education no one can ever take that away from you. He ensured that all his children received college and university educations in their chosen vocations. After graduation, if you expressed some new found opinion he did not agree with, Dad would try and humble you, offering the advice that "there is always someone smarter than you". Our Dad was the wisest man I had ever known. Dad loved to travel either for work or pleasure. As a cattle buyer for Swifts, he and Marshall Tindal would visit farms throughout Central and Northern Alberta. There were trips for Jonathan Fox/Justamere Farms to Montana to deliver a load of bulls and return bred cows. Once Mom and Dad became more established, there were trips to Hawaii with friends/relatives and Poland to visit Dolores who was working there for Price Waterhouse as an auditor. Dad enjoyed the Russian Market in Warsaw. Kind of a huge flea market. Dad loved this place since he could dicker on the price for goods. That was Dads fun…Kind of like buying cattle…and using Mom's spending money. Socializing with family and friends always made Dad's day. I remember trips to Lea Park Rodeo, which was mid point between Beaver Dam and Lloydminster. There the Ziniewicz family would meet the Pietrusiks, Babey and Zeschuk's for a day of watching the rodeo events, picnicking by the river and just catching up on family news. Dad loved to give his perspective on how both the cowboys and the stock performed. Dad enjoyed a good party. Wedding dances were his favourite. Julie and Dolores would coax him up onto the dance floor and he would just let loose. He especially liked a Ukrainian band playing an old fashioned polka. He would dance with his girls until the sweat just poured off his brow. After a quick rest and a taste of his favourite beverage, it would be Mom's turn on the dance floor. There was always time for berry picking. Mom sense of direction was not that great especially in the bush. Ultimately she would get lost. To get her bearings and find her companion there would be a loud…Yooo-hooo…John…but John would not answer. He knew where he was. He just sat there eating the fruit of his labours in silence, while enjoying a friendly game of hide-seek. There were the annual trips to Radium after seeding to go for a soak. This allowed Dad to soothe those achy muscles and clean up his grease stained hands. There were always stories of some acquaintance Dad had met sitting in the energizing waters. It was always some guy he knew from buying cattle, or someone he had met while working at the Co-Op Feed Mill. For Dad the world was definitely a small place. There were always trips to see the kids and grandkids in either Edmonton or Calgary. Usually the red Dodge truck carried some treasure that Mom had found at an auction. It was Dads job to transport and then present the find to the lucky recipient. They were always shopping for the kids. Dad was a good judge of character and valued a firm handshake. Once you extended your hand to him it was at your own peril. There would be firm grip, a hard squeeze, and then he would watch you for a reaction. If you did not call uncle you were of good stock and worthy opponent to strike a deal. Dad was a generous man. Though sometimes it seemed he was a little tight with his money. In reflection, I sometimes wondered if he was truly Polish, perhaps he had some eastern Scottish roots. It was always a game with Dad whenever you would ask for some money, for a school expense or a show. Dad would dig deep into his pockets and rummage around. He would always make out like there was nothing there. Eventually he would pull out a bill and had it over, but still holding it tight. You would always need to make one last plea before he let it go. Dad always found a way to afford for his families needs. Dad was a teaser and a jokester, an activity that came with a twinkle in his eye and impish grin. His favourite targets were his grandkids, whom he would tease or tickle to see what reaction he could get. Usually it was mom who intervened, saying…"Grampa don't do that there just little". It was only then; Grandpa put on his best not guilty look and give up the game. In later years the grandkids would visit at the nursing home. Grandpa was always up for a game of catch with a big beach ball or just watching them at the playground. Dad loved his grandkids and his grandkids loved him. Mom loved Dad unconditionally and Dad returned that love. Through good times and bad they stood by each others sides, like brothers in arms. Dad never believed in Doctors, unless of course they were a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine). You could probably count on your one hand the number of times he got sick. It was not until his later years Dad suffered a series of strokes, which resulted in Alzheimer's. Ultimately, this triggered other health issues and complications which finally took his life. For his final years my Mom looked after Dad at home, until her physical abilities were exhausted but not her love. When Dad finally moved into the Dr Cooke, my Mom became his caregiver, champion and advocate to ensure his needs were met to the highest of standards. My Mom's love for Dad was unfaltering right to the end of his life. Without her love, constant care and vigilance Dad would not have survived as long as he did. Thank-you Mom!!… You always put Dad first before any of your own needs. My father and I had a simple and loving relationship. He was a remarkably good man, a person of integrity and devotion, a proud man who understood a hard day's work. His greatest achievement was his family. Being his only son, I was the lucky beneficiary of his wisdom. During my most formative and influential years, Dad poured vast amounts of love and energy into me. I am who I am because of my father. What I remember most about my Dad are those large sandpaper-rough hands, made rugged from years of farm work. From my earliest days, hand-in-hand, we discovered the world together. The loss of my father has been painful, however I think about the legacy he left me… a hunger for knowledge, a curiosity about life and the world, a passion for the outdoors, an example of a life whose riches owe little to money, a sense that anything is possible if you work hard, a model of what a Dad should be. Those are his greatest gifts and legacy. We had a remarkable and beautiful relationship….I loved him very much. Dobry Wieczór Ojciec May Your Memory Be Eternal! Gary John Ziniewicz CARD OF THANKS The family of the late John Ziniewicz would like to thank friends, neighbours and relatives for all the support you provided. Your kindness and helpfulness over the years while John resided at Doctor Cooke Nursing home is very much appreciated. The family would like to thank Dr. N Van Der Merwe, Nurses and staff at the Doctor Cooke Nursing Home for their care, concern and compassion during John's residence and final days. Thank-you, to Rev.Father Michael Maranchuk, and Cantors who performed a beautiful service. All Saint Ukrainian Orthodox Church and members for your support and kindness. The pallbearers, Grandsons, Christopher, Shawn, Jonathan, Alex, Ben, and Frank, Thank-you, Grandpa would be very proud of you all!., Glenn and Dave McCaw for their care and professionalism administering the funeral arrangements. The Ziniewicz Family would also like to thank everyone who sent cards, food, flowers and donations in Johns memory. Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated. Donations in memory of John may be made to the Dr. Cooke Patient Comfort Fund or to a charity of the donors choice.