Ronald Douglas Tacknyk, age 76, passed away peacefully at the Lake of the Woods Hospital on June 10, 2022.
Predeceased by his father, Nick Tacknyk, mother Jessie Strabek, Step-father Nick Strabek, sister Kathy Favreau and cousin Roy Tacknyk.
He is survived and will be greatly missed by his devoted wife of 53 years, Nedean Tacknyk, his sons Darren(Trish) and Dean(Kathy) and his granddaughters Brynn and Kayden. He also leaves behind his extended family: Val and Jim Spencer, Cheryl and Harvey Dyck, Marilyn Cann, Emily Tacknyk, Jerry Favreau, Darlene Tacknyk and their families.
Ron started his electrical career with Bowman Electric and retired from the Kenora Paper Mill in 2001 after a long career. He was well respected by his coworkers and known to always be willing to share his knowledge in his field. Ron never truly retired. He continued to help family and friends on different projects. He was a skilled electrician but also had many other skills that he was happy to share. Later on he took pride in his side job of maintaining a cottage property on Lake of the Woods.
Ron loved to hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors. Getting together with his hunting buddies every fall was something he looked forwards to every year. They would all head up with their gear and haul of food to spend a week at Papaonga/Bad Rock Lake. Many adventures and memories were made at these Northern lakes.
Ron had a love of all things hockey and baseball his whole life. When his sons were young, Ron enjoyed coaching minor hockey and baseball. Many of the kids he coached continued to hold a special place in his heart and to this day are friends with his boys. He spent many hours at Evergreen Rink both watching his boys and their friends play hockey and volunteering to prepare and maintain the ice for the neighbourhood kids. In later years, Ron’s love of sport became evident in his hockey card and sport memorabilia collection. He made many a trip to Winnipeg to add to his collection and became very proficient at using eBay to seek the next card on his list.
Ron had many health challenges over the last 20 years but never gave up and was known to never complain- he was always a great patient and took on every medical challenge with grace and bravery. Ron was very thankful for the many friends that helped to keep him strong through these years- Jim Scribilo, Bill Krolyk, Len Krolyk, Ron Beck, Rob Freeman, Sugar Sieradzki and Karen & Mel Lazareck. His faithful 4 legged friend, Jagger, was always by his side to bring comfort and companionship.
Ron was an uncomplicated man who liked to watch sports and the news. He was always sporting his white Stanfield t-shirts and beige khakis (which his family now finds comfort in using as pajamas). He had a heart of gold and was always there to lend a helping hand to anyone who was in need.
The family would like to say thank you to the many health professionals and special medical team who followed him over the years with such great care and compassion in Winnipeg and the Lake of the Woods Hospital. A special thank you to June, Andrea and Carolyn from Sunset Family Health Team, Lauren from Life Labs and the caring team at ParaMed- who made it possible for Ron to be home.
A Celebration of Life will follow later this summer.
Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to: The Canadian Kidney Foundation, The Canadian Diabetes Association, The Lake of The Woods District Hospital
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfuneralhomekenora.com for the Tacknyk family.