Obituary of BILL BADIUK

WILLIAM (BILL) BADIUK May 25, 1921- October 31, 2011 After an evening spent watching the Antiques Road Show, Lawrence Welk and planning to dress up as Sheriff Wild Bill for Halloween, Bill passed away suddenly at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg on the morning of October 31, at the age of 90. Bill will be remembered by daughter Vienna (Joe) and son Doug (Carrie); sister-in-law Margaret Olynyk; sister-in-law Mary Drumlevich; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Joe and Jean Olynyk, as well as sister-in-law Vivian Banks, and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces. Wasyl (William) Badiuk was born at home to Petro and Elesevata (nee Serediuk) Badiuk in Arbakka, Manitoba then a small, vibrant Ukrainian farming community not far from Vita. There were five children in the family Francis, John, Bill, Doris and Alec. Large timbers supported the floors and exterior wall structure of the house, with white-washed straw and clay walls, and five cement steps leading inside, where carefully chosen floral wall paper delighted the living room. It was a rambunctious, hard working family. The large garden needed tending while wheat, potatoes and eggs brought in extra money during the Depression. Horse and oxen harnesses were made by hand. There was fun. A young ram, for instance, soon learned to politely head-butt the front door. Once inside the house, if no parents were around, it would run from room to room chaotically jumping on beds. The ram once wedged its head into a can of paint, running around bumping into things, paint dripping with family in pursuit. There was a lot more orange paint on the ram than on the window and door frames. Like his brothers and sisters, Bill began school speaking only Ukrainian but his language was not allowed on school property. After grade 4, his focus was helping out on the farm, as well as cutting and hauling pulp wood. As a teen, he worked in lumber camps, harvesting gangs and eventually as a truck driver, hauling gas from Winnipeg to Lac du Bonnet. Bill met his wife, Helen, at a wedding in Winnipeg. Having caught his eye, he asked if he could walk her home. She agreed, adding he must also walk her sisters home. Luckily, Helen had four sisters. Bill and Helen were married on August 10, 1950. They had two children - Vienna and Doug. For well over 30 years, Bill worked as a skilled welder, one of the city's finest. His reputation in the trade was such that during the late '60s he was chosen by the Health Sciences Centre to work on a special project. After experiencing a mild heart attack in the late 70s Bill retired. In retirement, he became a 20 year member of the ReFit Centre, and was, with his wife, a daily mall walker and member of the Poplar and Dufferin Senior Centres. Bill was a regular meat carver at the West End Senior Centre dinners and dances. Everyone he knew got a wooden bowl or tooth pick holder which he made on his wood lathe from collected logs. In 1999, Helen experienced a life-altering stroke, but after a year of rehab at Riverview, came back to the family home - under the watchful care of family. Helen died on August 11, 2008, the day after their 58th wedding anniversary. Later Charlie the cat filled the mornings, staring - adoringly, from the floor as Bill read the obits. Bill became a resident of the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg in 2010 after a 10 month stay at St. Boniface Hospital having an above the knee double amputation, due to poor circulation. Bill and Helen were helpful and generous people, whose home was always wide open to friends and family for table groaning gatherings - in times of celebration or difficulty. Bill will be remembered at a service on Monday, November 7 at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main Street, Winnipeg, 204-586-8044. Viewing at 10:30 a.m. Service at 11:00 a.m. Flowers gratefully declined. Donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba or the Winnipeg Humane Society. Vichnaya Pamyat