Emile Slusarczyk

May 8th, 1930 to May 26th, 2021

Emil was born on May 8th, 1930 to John and Victoria in Vassar Manitoba, just 3 years after they emigrated from Poland. He was the 4th of 7 children and shared many adventures with his siblings: building forts, with tin can telephones; spending time with the horses; hunting, swimming, floating on a homemade raft, picking wild mushrooms and berries and helping out on the farm. It wasn’t long before Emil was working, cutting wood for someone in the area when he was fourteen. A few years later, he would drive a truck and haul wood with his brother Eddy. He worked hard, saved all his money and went to Winnipeg with cash to see the bank manager about a loan. He lied about his age to get a loan to buy his own truck. The bank manager guessed he wasn’t old enough but gave him a break anyway and he was all set. Later, he ran a sawmill there and in Kenora, with his own crew.

He met Arnold and Irene Dokken, as he passed their house on the way home and met their family, including their daughter Margaret. He got up the nerve to ask her out, after getting to know her when she taught school in Vassar one year. He was shy, believe it or not, and told us that she was so pretty that he felt he had to ask “can I kiss you,” before moving closer to her to do so. It wasn’t long before they were an item and were married on July 10th, 1954. They continued to live in Vassar raising their “3 little pigs” as he liked to call Shane, Bonnie and Cory for 8 years, until they moved to Kenora in 1962, joining Emil’s mother and brothers. In time, Emil would buy a house and move it to their property on Matheson Bay Road, giving the family a place to call their own and room to turn the pulp truck around. T Emil would start his day at 4::00 am and return late at night. Even though his kids were in bed, he would go look in on them as he had not seen them all day and missed them.

He bought a boat, named it Li’l Pal and used it to take his kids fishing. Even though he was tired at the end of the workday with sawdust in his hair and all sweaty, he would take the kids out on the lake. The boat was used to ferry other family members as well to Sultana beach for a swim and a picnic. As time went on, he bought a larger wooden boat he called Thomas that was used to go further down the lake and take the family camping. Emil was always full of life and loved waterskiing, teaching his kids to enjoy it too. Camping trips always included other families, cousins, aunts and uncles and the kids’ friends. In the winter, there was a snow machine to ride on and to go ice fishing with, a family affair complete with hot dogs and bean sandwiches, Margaret’s favorite!

Emil fostered independence in hid kids and taught Shane to drive the boats and when he had got his driver’s license, he set up barrels as pylons for Cory to back up and go forward with the car at the age of 11. He took Bonnie driving many times to practice driving to get her license and was always ready to go along as driving coach.

Emil was Catholic and felt it was important for the kids to go to church. Many Sundays he took Shane, Bonnie and Cory to church and their cousins Dawn, Russell and Cindy. They would all sit in the same pew at Notre Dame church, on either side of him, and he would say softly, “don’t do that.” All six were treated to French Fries on the way home and in later years when asked why he took 6 kids to church, he would say “who else was going to do it?”He said it was a sin to waste food, making us wonder if this was in the Bible.

There wasn’t anything that he wouldn’t eat, or wouldn’t try and he loved many, many foods, but none like the potato. He was always bugging Margaret to make potatoes, so she called him her Potato Bug. He took thinly sliced potatoes cooked over a grill with salt and butter,” Plotskies” and made them seem like a big treat! He had a way of making things special, so that you wanted it too, even partly raw potatoes that were slightly singed.

He believed in helping family if they needed it and loaned money to help his family get on track. He and Margaret gave each of their kids help with the down payment on their first homes and spent a lot of time with their grandchildren. If a baby was fussy, he would hold them in the rocking chair until they fell asleep.

When Emil was done with driving a pulp truck for a living, he began working at Rushing River Provincial Park as Assistant Park Warden, a job he truly loved! He couldn’t believe that he got paid for working there because he loved it so much. He formed lasting friendships with many of the people he worked with, friendships that existed right until his passing.

Emil realized a dream he’d had when he built a log house on the East Mellick road and started a little farm. This was an off the grid lifestyle with a windmill, generator and eventually some solar panels. They had cows, chickens, a turkey and a huge garden. Emil was highly creative, so he had thought about this place for years, imagining how it would be and worked out all the details ahead of time. Summers were very busy, with working at the Park and managing the farm, but he loved haying time! He would be out in the field, all day in intense heat, with Margaret helping him, dust in the air and as happy as a clam. He would have hay for the cows for the winter and his heart full of joy.

Emil loved dancing and learned as a young man by dancing with older women, who taught him the steps that developed his own style. Both he and Margaret loved to dance and he taught his kids to dance on Saturday nights listening to the radio or the hi-fi stereo. They learned to polka, waltz and a bit of the two step. He and Margaret would get dressed up to go the Rabbit Lake Community Centre for a night of dancing with family and friends on Saturday nights. They were well turned out: he in a shirt and tie, shoes polished by Cory, clean shaven and smelling of after shave; she in a nice dress, pumps and earrings under a cloud of Chanel No. 5.He loved to dance with Margaret as he said she” floated” in his arms.

Family was everything to him! Every Sunday at the farm, all were welcome to come for supper, it was a standing invitation. Mostly, he liked to watch all the family having a grand time together, he would sit and watch with a gentle smile on his face. The great grandchildren were very special and a lot of fun.

Emil liked to make things. He and Margaret built doll houses and doll beds for Mandy and Ashley; wooden fixtures to hold curling irons and blow dryers; reindeer plaques called Eric; armoires for televisions and VCRs; all the kitchen cupboards at the farm; and metal pot holders that hung from the ceiling. He adored anything that any of the family members made and would brag about the things Cory would make.

Dusty and Randie’s wedding was in Mexico and Shane and Liz made it possible for Emil and Margaret to attend. They enjoyed it very much, especially the ocean and the warmth of the sun.

He taught kindness and tolerance for others saying “doesn’t matter, they’re still a person, still have feelings” and cared about everyone. He also cared about animals. He would stop on the road and talk to his friend Joe the Beaver and a swan he met one day. He didn’t know why people made a fuss over him. We all know why, he was special in his calm, quiet, gentle way, a good listener who enjoyed people.

In his last year, living at Pinecrest, his requests were few and simple: pineapple juice; a mini flashlight on a hook so he could look at his leather stars or one of three clocks; a salt shaker: and some company to pass the time. With covid-19 visiting restrictions, he wasn’t able to see the little ones and worried that they would forget about him. Nothing could be further from the truth they will never forget him and neither will any of us.

Emil is survived by his children Shane(Liz), Bonnie(Doug), Cory(Mark); sister Jonet and Margaret’s sisters Iris(Harry), Norma, Pat (Ed) and their families. Also survived by Grandchildren Ryan(Kate), Cameron(Danielle), Mandy(Stephen), Ashley(Mike), Judd(Ashley),Dusty(Randie), Chris(Alex),Zachary, life share Sandy Graham and honorary granddaughter Kim Henley. There are many nieces and nephews that he was fond of, but too numerous to mention.

Emile was predeceased by wife Margaret, granddaughter Taylor, parents John and Victoria, siblings Jean, Ted, Emily, Eddy and Fred and in-laws Arnold and Irene Dokken, brother in law Floyd, nephew Tim.

A celebration of life will be held at Rushing River Provincial Park August 15th at 1:00 pm at Picnic area on the far side over the bridge.