DENEIKO - In loving memory of Daniel Deneiko. With deep sadness the family f Daniel Deneiko announce his passing on May 01, 2012 at the Battlefords Union Hospital. Cherishing Dan's memory are his loving sons: CURTIS ( Bev) Deneiko, Glaslyn, SK and their family: son, Brett (Kristi) Deneiko and Addesyn, Edmonton, AB; daughter, Lyndsay (Lee) Penner and Daxton, Lumsden SK; BRIAN Deneiko, North Battleford, SK and his sons; Aaron and David Deneiko, Edmonton, AB; brothers and sisters; Eva (Nick) Dmytryshyn, Glaslyn, SK. Russ (Shirley) Deneiko, Young, SK; Ollie (Fred) Wittig, New Westminster, B.C.; Anne (Bob) Morrison, San Diego, California, USA; Walter Deneiko, Calgary, AB; sister-in-law and brother-in-law; Sofia Stefaniw, North Battleford, SK and Morris Stefaniw, Calgary, AB; as well as many uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and their families. Dan was predeceased by his parents, Mike and Martha Deneeiko; his loving wife, Audrey Deneiko (January 28, 2006) Shared Memories by Fred Kamins Tragedy struck the Deneiko family when Martha Dan's mother passed away 13 months after the birth of the youngest sibling, Walter. The Deneiko's persevered and found strenght to flourish as a family. I'm sure it was from this, that Dan developed the strong sense of family that would forever define him as a brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He began his own family having met, courted and married a local girl, Audrey Stefaniw, in the early 1950's. Boys Curtis and Brian followed and Dan got serious about farming in order to provide for his growing family. Dan was proud to be a farmer and cattle man. The farm and its constant need for attention was what drove Dan his entire life. He wasn't always on the farm though. One early adventure off the farm came when he and very young Robert Michnik accepted an invitation from Harry Matweow to come out to BC and workk the mines. They gave it a try for one season yet this was to cement a friendship between Dan and Robert that would last their lifetimes. Cattle was always a part of Dan and he was happiest when he was checking the cows. Jum Campbell, a local cattle buyer, would call Dan whenever he found some skinnier, older or otherwise not prime, cows for sale and Dan would almost always buy them only to surprise Jim months later with strong, well fed, finished cows. "Dan's money makers" was how others referred to the herd that was perhaps not always pretty but Dan would say he was making money. When asked why he stuck with the extra work of cattle instead on concentrating on grain farming, Dan would always say "you do what you want, but when times are tough the cattle will always pull us through." Dan didn't spend all his time with the cows, though. His two son's played hockey and Dan was there for them by coaching and supporting them in their early years of play. As the lefvel of play rose, so did Dan's involvement, less in a coaching role, but more as team manager and provider of logistical support. For those non-hockey fans, that meant handing out chewing gum to the players and working with the local beer rep and picking up some cold ones for the post game show. As time went on, he moved to other jobs from selling tickets to simply cheering the team on with words of encouragement such as "no problem, boys. We'll get them next time." Speaking of collecting tickets, a job he did for more than 35 years, it was something he enjoyed doing and was so good at it that he was asked to do it for other events as well. I think he enjoyed it so much because it gave him a chance to talk to everyone who came to the game. Just this past winter one young boy was overheard commenting that "its not the same without Mr. Deneiko collecting the tickets." One of those "other jobs" was his involvement with the Glaslyn Elks. Audrey was a member of the Royal Purple and Dan was an Elk for many years serving the community, most recently tending bar for the Texas Hold-em tournaments. In recognition of his service, Dan was made a lifetime member of the Elks. Though the farm always figured prominently in Dan's life, he didn't only work there. Apart from his mining adventure, in the early days, after doing his chores, he would head to the bush to cut posts for L & M and at the end of the day go home to do evening chores before heading to bed and starting all over the next day. Dan and Audrey also spent a lot of time working with people like Ed Urbanowski helping Dawn and Gordy Mayer at the Auction yard. Sunday afternoon auctions turned into Sunday evenings being entertained by Gordy. I suppose some will believe that those good times can happen again now that Dan has joined Audrey, Dawn, and Gordy in a better place. In addition to the rodeo trips, Dan took his family on other trips, including a trip to Vancouver in 1972 to watch his brother-in-law, Morris, play in an NHL game there. A couple of trips to Hawaii with Audrey exposed Dan to island cowboys. He travelled to Seattle and the Dominican Republic for family weddings and then he took the trip he considered to be the best...going to Alaska on a cruise ship with his siblings last year. But wherever Dan may have gone, he always returned to the farm. The coffee pot was always on and who doesn't have a memory of Dan offering a glass of his homemade wine. Speaking of his wine making, Dan embraced his berry picking and few raspberries, blueberries or saskatoons were left behind when Dan went picking either alone or with his grandkids. There was some talk about Dan's "kool-aid", as some would call it, not having much kick. Dan missed Audrey when she passed in 2006 and threw himself into his chores and odd jobs around the farm to fill the void left and help him forget the pains he lived with daily. Robert's retirement from Crop insurance left him with time on his hands and he and Dan spent many a time working on the farm until Robert's passing in 2010. Dan's move into town in 2009 didn't keep him from the farm and who among us hasn't heard Dan saying "Let's go for a drive and look at the Crops." Dan was proud of Curtis and Bev's commitment to pure bred cattle and bull breeding and following in his footsteps into farming. While Brian helped out on the farm, his choice was not to make it his life's pursuit. Dan supported Brian's choice and was proud of him as he made his own way in life. I know that Dan appreciated their support these past few difficult months. While a little travel, helping with the hockey team and working at Gordy's Auction provided some minor diversions from the farm, the only thing that ever put the farm work on hold was being with his grandchildren. Whether it was taking Lyndsay and her friend, Kelly Sabraw, to Minnie-haw-haw for a Halloween or Christmas event, summer vacation time spent hunting gophers with David and Aaron, hunting deer with Brett or fishing with any one of them, Dan always made time for the grandkids. Farm chores would be there the next day, but time with the grandchildren was to be enjoyed whenever possible. This lesson has come home for Curtis as he now has two grandchildren of his own to spoil. Dan did not seek wealth in terms of money and didi not measure success by the size of a bank account. He was happiest when he was on a tractor picking rocks, in the field checking cows or shooting gophers with the boys. He cherished his friends and family. These past few months saw a veritable parade of friends and family come to share time with Dan. If the measure of success is one's friends and family, Dan was wealthy beyond many. I remember a proud grandfather who enjoyed people and was in his glory surrounded by family. Our friendship continued over the past 30 years with many good times at dances, family events or over a game of Kaiser. He always greeted me with a smile on his face and enjoyed a good story or something that would strike him as funny and set him off laughing. One of the toughest things I've had to come to terms with these past few days is hearing someone at the door at Nick and Eva's and expecting to see Dan walk in, calling out "What's going on here!" for this is the very style of family gathering Dan would never miss. CARD OF THANKS The family of the late Dan Deneiko would like to thank Very Rev. Father Taras Udod for his compassion, prayers and exceptional service. To the Honourary, Active Pallbearers, Cross Bearer, Banner Bears, Cantor and Altar servers. Our sincere thank you for the wonderful care Dan received at Battlefords Union Hospital, 3rd Floor. Thank you to Drs. Lipsett and Khurana. Thank you to Bob McKay and Battlefords Funeral Service for their compassion and guidance during this difficult time. A very special thank you to family and friends for their visits, calls, food, flowers and cards. This compassion continues to bring us much comfort and strength. Curtis and Bev Deneiko and family. Brian Deneiko and family. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
