Obituary of LAWRENCE PATZEL

LAWRENCE PATZEL On April 10, 2015 at Concordia Hospital in Winnipeg, Lawrence Patzel passed away at the age of 89 years. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sonia, his daughters Fay Croall (Stan) and Doreen Bowden, his son Ken Patzel (Barbara) as well as his sister Lilian Johanson (Hugh) of Calgary. He is also survived by 8 grandchildren, Stuart Croall (Sherri), Alison Skopalek (Jiri), Carrie Bowden (Don), Rodney Bowden (Colleen), Stacey Bowden-Sass (Shaun), Isaac Patzel, Julia Zanewich (Josh) and Dan Mroz along with 10 great-grandchildren and nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brothers, Gordon Patzel (Betty), Ernest Patzel (Irene) and Edward Patzel. Lawrence was born in Winnipeg but grew up near Gimli, Manitoba. He met Sonia while travelling on the bus to visit his family and they started dating. They were married in 1946 and lived in Winnipeg. Lawrence worked for the City of Winnipeg Water Works where he advanced from fixing water mains to becoming a pumping station operator and eventually a supervisor for all three pumping stations. He retired in 1984 after 38 years of service. After retiring he made sure to continue to have his morning coffee break at McDonalds and then would go for his daily walk. Dad’s mandolin playing was a special treat for us and he always surprised us with his wit and his humor. He was an amateur radio operator (VE4LQ) and was self-taught in electronics and later in computer programming. He was a modest man and he was always happy to help others. We loved him and will miss him. The Family would like to thank Dr. Tunovic, Dr. Johnson and the nurses and staff of N1 South, Concordia Hospital for their exceptional care and compassion. Many thanks as well, to home care workers Pete and Oliver for helping Dad over the past year. A funeral service has already taken place along with interment at Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg.