Obituaries

JOHN BAZIUK

On Friday, July 10, 2020, John Baziuk peacefully passed away at 93 years of age at Grace Hospital, Winnipeg, MB.

He was predeceased by his parents, Peter and Mary, his devoted wife, Elizabeth (“Liz”), and his brother, Morris.

John will be forever remembered by his sister, Mary, beloved children, David (Lucy), Vance, Kelly (Marilyn), Jan (Susan), Leanne (Lloyd) and Marian, his seven grandchildren, Ashley (Ryan), Steven (Carmen), Tasha (Mark), Alexa (Devin), Kaylee, Mark, Adam and four great-grandchildren, Ava, Emma, Jackson, Grey, along with one great-grandchild due October 2020.

John was the oldest of three children, born on June 16, 1927, on the farm north of Ituna, Saskatchewan. After attending school from Grades 2-9, he began his work life, joining the Royal Canadian Air Cadets (270 Squadron, Noranda, QB) during the Second World War.

John entered the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on April 17, 1952. Following graduation, he was posted to Calgary, AB. John met his forever love, Liz, in January 1953, and they were married on November 10, 1956. The newlyweds transferred to Winnipeg, MB in 1957 and settled on Best Street for 41 wonderful years. His final posting was at Headingley Detachment, retiring with the rank of Staff Sergeant on July 2,1980, after 28 exceptional years. He was proud of his service and loved sharing his Mounted Police adventures. After he retired, John worked at the Bank of Canada (Winnipeg) as a bank guard from 1981 to 1997, enjoying this second career as much as he did being an RCMP officer.

John and Liz vacationed in various parts of the world throughout their marriage and were able to travel for 25 consecutive years. In 1989, John planned the most memorable surprise trip for Liz to the Holy Land where they dipped their toes in the Sea of Galilee and placed written family prayers into the Wailing Wall.

John’s Catholic faith guided him to serve in the church where he volunteered his time in many capacities for over 40 years. He joined the St. James Knights of Columbus in 1997 which was very gratifying to him. John was a man of principle and was dedicated to his family and community.  He created a vast library of jokes written in his famous “Hidey Hole” to be shared with anyone who would listen. He was a master at assembling jigsaw puzzles and enjoyed collecting stamps and world currencies.

Our family would like to thank Dr. Prodan (family MD) and the ER staff at Grace Hospital for their care.

A private Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. John XXIII Roman Catholic Church, 3390 Portage Avenue with Rev. Father Robert Polz presiding. A private family interment in Regina, SK at the RCMP Depot Division will be held at a later date.