Obituary of Michael Zaychkowsky

Newspaper obit Zaychkowsky: Michael Zaychkowsky passed away peacefully in the Maidstone Hospital, Maidstone, Saskatchewan on Monday March 20, 2006 at the age of 94 years. Mike is survived by: his children Terri Selin of Lloydminster; Tom Zaychkowsky and his wife Lynne; four grandchildren: Dale Selin of Edmonton; Allyn Selin of Calgary; Wendy Selin of Lloydminster and Daniel Rowe of Edmonton; one brother John Zaychkowsky and his wife Anne of North Battleford; sisters Anne Kupin of Vermilion and Doris Worsyz of Denver, Co. Mike was predeceased by his wife Ruth; his sisters Helen Fournel; Mary Goebel and Olga Cotter. The funeral service was held at 2:00 p.m. in the Maidstone Legion Hall with Pastor Lyle Berg officiating. The eulogy was give by daughter Terri Selin. Special music by Tom Steward of England as well as a violin solo by Samuel Lundell. A tribute to Mike by the Legion Honor Guard Honorary Pallbearers: John & Anne Zaychkowsky; Anne Kupin; Doris Worsyz; Wendy, Jordan & Kmberlea Driedger, Joan Smith; Alex Essar, Mike & Tasha DeWing and all of Mike’s friends Active Pallbearers were: Dale Selin; Allyn Selin; Wendy Selin; Daniel Rowe; Michael Zaychkowsky; George Zaychkowsky and Jake Driedger Interment was in the Maidstone Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd. administered the funeral arrangements. Excerpts of eulogy by Terri Selin Michael Zaychkowsky arrived into the world, Nov. 26, 1911 at Tishkevch, Hordenka, Ukraine. He was the 1st born to William & Hafia Zaychkowsky. My aunt described him as a tenacious child full of life and very curious! In 1913 the family immigrated to Canada. They came by boat which took 6 months to cross the ocean. The entire family was sea sick with the exception of Dad, who would frequently run around on the deck much to everyone’s horror as they were afraid he would fall overboard. The family homesteaded in the Marlin area, south of Glaslyn. Seven children were born, Michael (Dad), Anne, Mary, Helen, Doris, John and Olga. Dad attended school in at Spiny Hill (south & east of Glaslyn). He soon learned to love to read, and devoured any books he could get his hands on. Dad also loved visiting the Bendurkas, on one visit he found a broken violin of Uncle Fred’s. He asked if he could have it, he took it home and carefully repaired it. Aunt Anne said within a week he had learned to play it. He played by ear but later taught himself to read music. Dad played banjo as well as saxophone. Dad was very excited when his Father bought the family their 1st radio, totally fascinated with how it worked he got it out of tune; much to the distress of his parents. To redeem himself, he took it to an old friend who had a radio course. Due to Dad’s keen interest in radios, the friend sent him home with all his study materials. Dad studied the course, and later enrolled in the National Radio Institute. This would prove to be very beneficial, as he was called to serve in the army but due to his radio training was able to enroll in the air force. Dad’s heart’s desire was to serve as a fighter pilot, but due to night blindness he was unable to fly overseas. He did the next best thing, training to be an electrician, wiring the electrical systems for planes and testing piloting the instrumentation of the planes. Dad trained and served in Toronto, Montreal, Comox and Vancouver. After serving in the air force Dad returned to Glaslyn to open his own radio shop. He met Ruth Wiese, they were married Oct. 9th, 1949. On March 27, 1950, I arrived into their life. At the same time Dad’s business started expanding with the installation of power. Dad wired homes, businesses, schools, etc. while Mom ran the shop. In1953 Mom and Dad decided to move to Maidstone. Larry was born October 16th. Dad and his staff traveled and wired while Mom handled the retail shop which had expanded to appliances. Jan. 1st, 1956, Tom was born to complete our family. Dad enjoyed his work but most of all he enjoyed people. Wherever Dad went he would always tell a joke or show a magic trick. If there was a child any where to be seen, Dad would be pulling quarters or loonies out of their hair or off their shoulders, which usually attracted a crowd. He used to say, “If I can make someone’s day a little better and happier, I have accomplished something. Nov. 26, 1973 brought the birth of their 1st grandson Dale, Nov. 6, 1974 Allyn was born. Dad really enjoyed being a Grandpa. July 17, 1978, Wendy was added to our family. She certainly completed the circle of Grandpa’s affection. Feb. 5th, 1996 Mom went home to be with Lord after a short illness. A hard time for Dad, as he missed her greatly. Life moved on, with Tom and Lynne’s marriage, brought a new daughter in law and grandson for Dad. Nov. 23, 2000, Larry would go home to be with the Lord through an accident. This was a very difficult time for Dad, but he still shared stories and jokes with other around him. Dad drove until 4 yrs. ago visiting us every Saturday and having coffee at the COOP with his friends, including his good friend Alex Essar. Dad was always optimistic that he could do any thing he wanted to. When he could no longer drive his truck, he got a scooter and spent many hours at the park visiting with travelers and feeding the wild geese. Dad’s desire was to stay in his own home, with the help of the great Homecare staff; he was able to stay home. Last fall, we decided to renovate his home. All our family members came home to help. It was a tough time for Dad, because he liked to be the foreman, and sometimes wasn’t sure what was happening next, but he had a good time enjoying meals together, pulling the nails out of the boards, taking the new dead bolt off (who needs that anyway); admiring Tom’s tools hoping he would leave a few especially his small table saw. Over the many years, Mom’s prayer was that Dad would come to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ so that he would spend eternity with God. This met with resistance, but with much prayer we saw the change of heart in his last weeks of his life, especially the last few days. His last day, he was more peaceful than ever before; a peace comes only from having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ We believe that this day there is a celebration in Heaven as Dad has gone home to be with the Lord. He now knows the answers to the questions he has wondered about, and I am sure he is playing some instrument in God’s heavenly band. Card of Thanks The family of the late Mike Zaychkowsky would like to thank the Maidstone Homecare Staff for their exception care of Mike. Thank you to Pastor Lyle Berg for officiating the service. Sam Lundell and Tom Steward for the special music. A special thanks to the Active and Honorary Pallbearers; the Legion Honor Guard; and the Senior Center’s Ladies for a wonderful lunch. Thank you for all of our family and friends for your love and comfort. To Glenn and Dale McCaw for your support, care and special touches to make the celebration of Dad’s life so special. Terri, Dale, Allyn & Wendy Selin Tom& Lynne Zaychkowsky & Daniel Rowe