Mr. Mike Ostapiw of the Denholm, Saskatchewan district passed away suddenly at his residence at the age of 65 years. A Memorial Service for Mike will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. from the Denholm Recreation Centre with Mrs. Joyce Salie officiating. Left to cherish his memory are his loving family; his loving wife of 41 years Deborah (nee Mathews); sons Steven (Karen) and their children Cody, Colton, Dillon, Kassidy, and Karder; Russel (Bernadette) and their children Mikaela and Courtney; David (Carrie) and their children Dayden and Meira; and daughter Heather (Jerry) Shulte and their children Nathan, Magdelena, Jeromy, and Andrew; brother Walter and sister Antonia (Bob) Sikorsky, Miro (Bud) & Diane Ostapiw; mother-in-law Eleanor Mathews; in-laws Harriette (Philip) Beaudoin; Darlene (Murray) Jensen, Eileen (Darrell) Schmidt, Spike (Rebecca) Mathews, Lucy (Steve) Varey, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mike was predeceased by his first wife Roberta (nee Meiers), parents Petro & Marie; his father-in-law Harry Mathews, brother Bill Ostapin and sister-in-law Rose Ostapin. Memorial donations in memory of Mike may be directed to the Canadian Diabetes Association or to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
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EULOGY FOR MIKE OSTAPIW
Mike was born December 11, 1948 on the family farm in the original farm house. After the second house was built, the first house was torn down and the lumber was used to build the current shop. He started farming at age 5, hauling rocks (stones) in a one gallon honey pail to a stone boat. At age 14 he started farming full-time while his dad was in the hospital. Frank Shumlich came across the field and said to Mike, "you might want to raise the seeder out of the ground a bit"; and from that point on Mike farmed the same land and the same way. Between the wise instruction and the good lord he proceeded for the next 51 years until he semi-retired 4 1/2 years ago. He had a rough start in school life. He started kindergarten in Denholm at the one-room school house and he only spoke Ukrainian. The teachers back then had little patience and ruled by the rod, therefore he hated school from that point on BUT he learned his own way. Mike being the only person with fluent English in the household he did most of the business dealings for his mom and dad from an early age. So between that quick education and the hard work on the farm, Mike always had grain in the bins. When the work was done, Mike enjoyed hunting and fishing with John Trach as a young guy for many years. Mike's mom and dad moved off the farm permanently in 1964 to a house in North Battleford. They left the house and farm in Mike's capable hands to carry on their legacy and dreams as Ukrainian immigrants and he did them proud. That is until his group of teenage buddies started coming around - Oh my god! Mike's farm house was the party house but Mike always made sure the work was done first. The boys would want to go to town for smokes and beers and Mike would always say "as soon as the chores are done". This bachelor "work hard, play hard" life style carried on until 1970 when Mike met and married Roberta Meier. They had two bouncy baby boys in quick succession. Mike really wanted to continue his family lineage in a hurry. Ha-ha A wonderful farm and a new family was struck with tragedy in November 1972 when Roberta passed away suddenly, leaving Mike and his infant boys alone and motherless. But Saint Nick also known as Nancy Meier delivered the three Ostapiw boys a wonderful Christmas present that year, young Debbie Matthews. She came to live at the farm as nanny and housekeeper for a little while. Those of you who know Mike and Debbie, know they celebrated 41 years of marriage this past year, some little while. In true pioneer farming spirit, Mike and Deb fell in love, got hitched, farmed the land, planted the garden, calved the cows, gave Steven and Russel another brother and sister (David and Heather) and did it all together side-by-side. I think Mike was happy to be a farmer because it allowed him the flexibility to spend time with his family. Camping and fishing were great favorites with Debbie and the kids. Mike introduced the boys to hunting and all 3 are still loving it. Snowmobiling, ATV's, boating and water skiing were also a huge part of the family fun. With Heather keeping up right along with her 3 older brothers. Sometimes Mike seemed to spend more time fixing breakdowns, crashed up machines and hollering at the kids to be careful and don't break your damn neck. Mike was also an active member of both the farming and social community in an around Denholm. He may have grumbled and grouched but when it came time to flip pancakes, Mike was always ready to put on an apron. He also said he would be an RM counsellor for just one year; well that was 31 years ago. Mike enjoys doing his part and everyone who knows him new his bark was worse than his bite. Mike and Deb were very proud of their kids they raised on the farm. They raised them to be tough with strong work ethics, brutal honesty and a ready kick-in-the-ass. Mike lived life his own way and no one else's and he made sure that the kids would live their lives that way as well. He was so happy to see each of his four children get their high school diplomas and drove them to go further in their lives and to do better than him. He raised a carpenter in Steven who now runs his own contracting company with his wife. He raised a welder in Russel who now operates the cranes and is second-in-command in his job. He raised a correctional officer in David who in his spare time is a technical junky, who created the company "Ostacruiser" from quads, video and YouTube. He raised a chef in Heather and supported the start-up of her dream of owning her own catering company Chef de Partie Catering. And he also passed down all his creativity and artistic talents. All the years of hard work, ups and downs in marriage raising four kids from diapers through teenagers to adults and out-the-door, Mike and Deb breathed a sigh of relief and thought they might finally relax with an empty nest. Their last daughter graduated and out the door and figured it was time to party. It was the summer of 1994 and they saw their first son happily married. Well it was good thing that Mike and Deb did a lot of travelling and took a lot of holidays throughout the years because that first wedding was just a crack in the damn because their kids had a different plan for them. For the next 6 years they drove all over the country side to celebrate 3 more weddings and 9 grandchildren in no particular order. Mike and Deb became Baba and Gido. Gido realized the pleasure of being a grandparent. He was definitely able to express his love and happiness more freely with his grandkids. Being a Gido transformed Mike. The hugs were longer and more often and the "I love you's" were frequent. Hardly an event passed without Gido and his big grin there. He then paid the ultimate sacrifice and left his big old world behind. It's a good thing he didn't raise this family alone because Debbie is still here to mind the farm and now the kids and grandkids can keep her company. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Trevor Watts of Eternal Memories Funeral Service & Crematorium. For those wishing to leave a condolence you may do so at www.eternalmemoriesfuneral.ca.
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Card of Thanks
Debbie Ostapiw and family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude and love to all family, friends and neighbors for their support since Mike's passing. All of the food, cards, flowers, phone calls, hugs, shoulders to cry on and comforting words have been amazing and overwhelming. Your outpouring of kindness and love has showed us just how many lives Dad has touched over his lifetime. Your compassion and sympathy will continue to be a wonderful comfort. Mike will be always remembered, deeply loved and sadly missed by many.
Sincerely, Debbie, Steven, Russel, David and Heather
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Close the Gate by Nancy Kraayenhof
For this one farmer the worries are over, lie down and rest your head,
Your time has been and struggles enough, put the tractor in the shed.
Years were not easy, many downright hard, but your faith in God transcended,
Put away your tools and sleep in peace. The fences have all been mended.
You raised a fine family, worked the land well and always followed the Son,
Hang up your shovel inside of the barn; your work here on earth is done.
A faith few possess led your journey through life, often a jagged and stony way,
The sun is setting, the cattle are all bedded, and here now is the end of your day.
Your love of God's soil has passed on to your kin; the stories flow like fine wine,
Wash off your work boots in the puddle left by the blessed rain one final time.
You always believed that the good Lord would provide and He always had somehow,
Take off your gloves and put them down, no more sweat and worry for you now.
Your labor is done, your home now is Heaven; no more must you wait,
Your legacy lives on, your love of the land,
And we will close the gate . . .
