September 3, 1920 - October 15, 2019
Nick Turchyniak was born in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan.
He volunteered for the Air Force during WW2 and served in England and Holland. Returning to Canada after the war, he married Paulette (Polly) in 1945.
In 1956 Nick and Paulette moved to Cranbrook, B.C. to take up a teaching position at Mount Baker Secondary School. Nick taught business, law, and accounting at Mt. Baker from 1956 to his early retirement in 1978.
In 1978 Nick and Paulette moved to Victoria B.C. where they made their home until Paulette's death in 1995 from cancer, after 50 years of marriage. In 2008, Nick met Florenda Jolo, a widow from the Philippines. After a brief courtship, they married in 2008 and settled in Nick's suite in Richmond. They spent the winters in the Philippines with Florenda's extended family.
Their periods of time in the Philippines grew longer each year and Nick began his second life. He decided to pursue humanitarian interests and funded many small businesses, school programs and church repairs. He also funded sight restoration cataract surgery for indigent relatives. He was blessed with the opportunity, ability and willingness to really make a difference to the world.
Nick retained his mental and physical health right up to the end. He celebrated his 99th birthday in September, 2019 with a party attended by his Filipino and Canadian families, neighbours and well-wishers.
Unfortunately, he contracted pneumonia a week after his birthday and after a month in intensive care succumbed to complications on October 15, 2019. The funeral was held a week later and his cremated remains were interred at Manila Memorial Park Cemetery, in his adopted homeland, in Dasmarinas, Cavite, Philippines.
Nick is survived by his widow Florenda and her extended family, as well as his son Terence David (wife Sandra Litchfield), daughter Gloria Lauris, grandson Alexander Elkholy and sisters Paula Barnes and Frances Bobowski. He is predeceased by his parents, John Turchyniak and Josephine Swizinski, and sisters Sally Whitney and Mary Dyck, as well as brothers Joe, Mike and Steve Turchyniak.