Eugene Bobyk

Bobyk, Eugene John

Born January 4, 1937 - Died December 10, 2021 - Age: 84 years

            Eugene was born on January 4, 1937, to John and Jenny Bobyk (nee Kushnir) on the family farm in the Beaver Plains district in the RM of St. Phillips in rural Saskatchewan.  He received his education in the Beaver Plains School where he got his grade 8.  He was not interested in school and so refused to go higher, preferring instead to work on the farm.  In the fall of 1957 he went to Regina and worked at Simpsons Sears in the packing department.  He developed a good rapport with his boss and was offered a permanent position.  However, when spring came he preferred being outdoors so went back to the farm.  He, his father and his brother bought more land in the area and he enjoyed the work.  The land was located in a beautiful area on the north side of the Duck Mountain Park and so was quite hilly with a very poor access road.  He determined to move the yard a mile west and relocate the home closer to a better road.  He built a house, doing most of the work himself, including logging in the hills and using his sawmill to cut the lumber, then allowing it to season before building.  Then he decided he needed a wife, so on November 1, 1969 he married Candace Johnson at Kamsack in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

            Following the death of his brother Mike in 1965 he realized there was more to life than work and so allowed his faith in God and the Bible to develop and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on July 7, 1967.  His faith in Jehovah God and the Bible was deep and moved him to visit people at their homes to talk to them about a beautiful future of eternal life on a paradise earth that the Bible holds out.

            Following their marriage, Eugene and Candace settled on the family farm where they were blessed with excellent neighbours.  A special blessing came on July 17, 1971 when their son Jonathon was born at Kamsack Hospital.  Eugene enjoyed being a dad and spent a lot of time with his son – even though he had difficulty changing diapers and was very happy when that phase of fatherhood passed.

            Eugene loved seeing what was over the next hill as a boy and would ramble for hours through the hills with his dog.  When he got a car, it soon translated into travelling further from home, and with his family enjoying the beauty of Canada from east to west and north to road’s end, then venturing into northern United States and even spending time in New York City.  Highlights of their travels included several trips to Niagara Falls, visiting the World Trade Centre location both before and after 9/11.  In 1993 they traveled to Ukraine and were able to visit the area where his father had grown up and meet members of his family and also attend a large convention of Jehovah”s Witnesses in Kiev.

            Tragedy was to be a part of his life too, as the couple experienced the loss of their beloved son in a car accident in October, 1989.  In spite of the pain this caused, he developed deep friendships with young people, adopting them as children, and their families as grandchildren, crawling with them on the floor or ground, picking ‘tato bugs, going fishing, whistling duets and teaching them Ukrainian phrases.

            In 2002, Eugene and Candace sold the farm to a young family.  He loved the fact that they allowed him to come and help in the spring and fall with seeding and harvest. He never lost his love for farming and would help with whatever task needed doing.  He also loved having time for gardening and begged a plot of land from friends who bought an acreage near Verigin.  He planted rows of what he considered the important vegetables: potatoes, corn and onions and shared the produce with friends and neighbours.

            Eugene’s life was shortened by a fall he experienced on a trip to visit in Alberta.  Hitting his head on a cement patio led to bleeding of his brain from which he never quite recovered and led to his death on December 10 at the Kamsack Hospital. 

          Eugene is survived by his wife Candace, sisters-in-law Beatrice Shand, Ruby Kluk, brother-in-law Wallace (Helen) Johnson, numerous nieces and nephews as well as a number of adopted sons, daughters, grandchildren who called him Dido and even a couple of great-grandchildren.

He is predeceased by his son Jonathon, his parents, John and Jenny, his step-mother, Lena;  his brother Mike, his sister Anne Tkachuk, his step-sister Anne Forman, his brothers-in-law , Alex Tkachuk, Leonard Forman, Donald Shand,  Leonard Kluk and his sister-in-law Linda Johnson.

            In keeping with Eugene's wishes a family service will be held.  For those who wish to donate in memory of Eugene they may do so to Kamsack Hospital Auxiliary or to Kamsack Congregation of Jehovah's Witness. To leave a note of condolence please visit wolkowski.com

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