Obituary of EUGENIUSZ IDZIKOWSKI

EUGENIUSZ  IDZIKOWSKI

It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, Eugeniusz Idzikowski on June 25, 2021 at the Grace Hospital following a brief illness.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife Krystyna, son Darek (Monika), grandson Nicholas, his last living sibling, sister Halina Komorowski (Marian); sisters-in-law Teodozja and Marianna; nieces Barbara Torok (Barna), Anna Sekhon (Gurpreet), and Agnieszka; nephews Krzysztof (Hanna), Marek, Robert, and Pawel (Monika); Beata and Grazyna who are the wives of his late nephews Andrzej and Ryszard; and, brother-in-law Antoni Niedospial (Teresa). He will also be missed by extended family members and friends in Poland and Canada.

Eugeniusz was predeceased by his parents Anna and Franciszek; brothers Tadeusz, Marian, Edward and Czeslaw; sister-in-law Malgorzata; and, nephew Artur.

Eugeniusz was born in Kalinowo, Poland on November 22, 1942 and was the youngest son in a family of six children. Before arriving in Canada in 1971, he worked for the Polish tractor manufacturer “Ursus.” He made Winnipeg his home for the past 50 years where he enjoyed a long and fulfilling career with the Canadian Pacific Railway. Throughout his life, dad was devout in his faith and pure of heart, always strongly committed to fearlessly serving God and his family with the deepest of conviction. He was a proud member of the Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church and the Polish community in Winnipeg. He enjoyed shopping at Polish stores and had a great appreciation for Polish music and traditional cuisine. He loved Basia’s cooking, especially her soups and nalesniczki (crepes). He nurtured his Polish roots by travelling back to his homeland several times, and reading and listening to the Polish news. He enjoyed meeting his retired friends for coffee at the Garden City Shopping Centre and the Seniors Club. 

Dad possessed great strength of character and conviction which was tempered by both humility and gentleness.  He was never one to complain despite the many health challenges he faced over his lifetime. He always made family his priority and made sure no one would ever leave his house hungry. Even as his strength diminished in the final hours before his passing, he offered to share his last dinner with his wife and a daughter-in-law. Dad will especially be remembered for his generous spirit in welcoming and helping newcomers to Canada. Over the years, he supported many family members immigrating to Canada by opening the Idzikowski home and helping them to get settled.

Dad, thank you for making us your delicious sandwich lunches and making sure we would never go hungry. Thank you for your unwavering love, support and hard-working hands without which our accomplishments would not have been possible. You embraced life to the fullest until the very end, and your legacy lives on within us. For what is loved is never lost, but losing you hurts deeply! Tato you were our ROCK! Heaven just welcomed in another Angel! Farewell DAD, we love you forever! You will be missed by all whose lives you touched. Niech Aniolowie zawioda Cie do raju…WIECZNY ODPOCZYNEK RACZ MU DAC PANIE.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the staff of Units 3 South and 5 of the Grace Hospital for their professional and compassionate care of our dad for the past four months. Special thanks as well to our dear longtime family friend, Mrs. Catherine (Cay) Huckerby, for being there for all of us through every step of this difficult journey together. Your support was beyond measure.

Due to provincial Public Health restrictions, a private family funeral and interment at the Holy Ghost Cemetery has been arranged on July 3, 2021.  For anyone wishing to observe the private service, a livestream is available at 10 a.m. on July 3 on the Holy Ghost Parish YouTube channel or the Holy Ghost AngelCam.

If friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, donations in Eugeniusz’s memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.