Obituary of TADEUSZ DRAPALA

TADEUSZ (TED) DRAPALA    

AUGUST 1, 1923 – JUNE 10, 2021

Peacefully, with his wife Janina by his side, Tadeusz (Ted) Drapala passed away at Deer Lodge Centre, at age 97. Ted leaves to mourn his passing his wife of 70 years Janina (Wroblewska) Drapala, and their five daughters: Donna Harasymec (Ernie), Barbara Kuzbyt (Steve), Lucy Haines (Gerry), Helen Sava (Mark) and Wanda Drapala (Paul).  He also leaves 11 loving grandchildren--Steven, Robert, Amanda, Adam, Kerri, Emily, Christopher, Grace, Lucas, Rachel and Kyle, and many great-grandchildren. Ted was pre-deceased by his dear son John, younger siblings Mietek and Jusia, and his parents Carolina and Wawrzyniec.

Thanks to staff at St. Boniface and Concordia Hospitals and Deer Lodge Centre for Ted’s care over his last 16 months.

Ted (Tata) was born in 1923 in Poland and worked the family farm until being taken from home by Russian forces during the German occupation of World War II. He spent years in Siberian labour camps before joining the infantry of the Polish Army, where he fought with the Allies in the 1944 Battle of Monte Cassino, Italy. Ted was one of the last survivors of his time—part of a generation of those who bravely faced hardship and loss but who persevered to make a life in a new country.

Ted hoped to farm with his family when they immigrated to Canada, but life brought him to Winnipeg and the big pink house on Lily Street. For the next 70 years, that’s where he remained, raising a family and working first as a milkman and then for years with Genstar in Transcona as a welder. Ted was a dedicated member of Holy Ghost Church and proud part of the SPK Polish Combatants Association, even driving bus each summer for the Polish Scouts’ annual expedition to the Whiteshell.

Ted had a tireless work ethic, sense of duty and pride in doing a job right. When the kids were growing up, the busy household could send Ted to his basement ‘blue room’ for respite, but he still managed to see everything that happened around him. Sharp until the very end, Ted had a booming voice but was a quiet observer too. He helped Mom tend a huge garden, made kapustain the big wooden barrel, and canned pickles and tomatoes to store in the basement cold room.  In his later decades, Ted would watch the Point Douglas world go by from his vantage point at the picnic table under the backyard tree, or enjoy talks with his kids and grandkids--as long as it was before his 4 p.m. bedtime!

Ted's strength, sly sense of humour and sweet smile will be remembered with love, always.Zbogom, Tata.

A funeral mass will be held Friday, June 18, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Ghost Church with interment to follow at Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Cemetery.