Chris Novecosky of Saskatoon, SK (originally of Burr, SK) died during an act of heroism on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at the age of 38. Chris was born to George and Theresa Novecosky in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He was the ninth of nine children and was greatly loved by all of them. He excelled in the trades becoming a journeyman plumber and electrician. He met his wife while in high school, years later he met her again, fell in love, and married her in 2019.
Chris will be forever remembered for his loving heart. He was one of the most kind, generous, and gentle souls; following the footsteps of his father. He was intelligent, thoughtful, creative and humorous. He held such a great love for his family, enough to risk and give his life for them.
Chris had an adventurous spirit and traveled greatly with his wife. He journeyed across Canada, the United States, Europe, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, Japan, and many other destinations. He and his wife even fulfilled their dream of living abroad in Australia for a year.
Chris loved art and music. He and Kristen attended many concerts and would introduce others to music they had never heard. Their first unofficial date was at the concert of one of their favourite bands, Bahamas.
Chris is survived by his wife of over 4 years, Kristen Bilawchuk; his mother, Theresa; his in-laws Bob and Cheryl Bilawchuk, Tracy (Brandon) and siblings Sandra (Madonna House), Patrick (Michele), Andrew (Louise), Frederick (Heather), Terence (Rita), Timothy (Cheryl), Sarah (Robert), and Karen (Kevin); his numerous nieces and nephews Jonathan, Jenna, Stephen, Peter, Daniel, Katherine, Dominic, Samuel, Evelyn, James, George, Francis, Benjamin, Aidan, Anna, David, and Georgia. He is predeceased by his father, George; nephews, Joseph, Tarcisius and Matthew; and nieces, Ava and Christina.
For Chris and his equally heroic nephew Joseph, a Vigil of Prayer will be at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 10, 2023. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 11, 2023. Both services will be held at The Cathedral of The Holy Family (123 Nelson Road, Saskatoon).
Arrangements entrusted to Travis Minor.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13
Chris' Eulogy
Chris was born on September 17, 1985 in Humboldt Saskatchewan to George and Theresa Novecosky. God must have felt that there was still something missing in the Novecosky family and so He added an extra bit of wit, charm and creativity to the mix in the form of Chris. After nine kids, He felt that the family was finally complete. The day he was born Patrick and Andy were on their dad’s school bus and distinctly remember it being a bright and sunny September day, which is fitting for Chris.
Chris was the baby. He was always adored by his older siblings but of course they would tease him - even into adulthood – that he was mom’s favorite; that he would always be her baby. Patrick even said, “Mom always said Chris was her most loved child — not because he was necessarily the most lovable — but because he had the most people to love him.” His siblings lovingly provide examples of this favoritism. Like the fact that even though Karen, Sarah, Tim, Terry and Fred all still lived at their family house with Chris, Chris was the only one who got to go with George and Theresa to Alberta for Patrick’s college graduation. The three of them even detoured to Banff on a little mountain trip. His parents gifted him a brand-new bike when he was little, when the other siblings only ever had used ones. Chris was also the only child who was gifted with two middle names.
Andy remembers that he had to share his bedroom with Chris for a full year when Andy was 17 and Chris was 2. Of course, this would be especially unideal for a 17-year-old as Chris would cry during the night. Andy would try and console him but one day his frustration eventually got the better of him and he complained to their dad that he was getting annoyed with his living arrangements. But George would defend Chris and tell Andy to suck it up and practice patience and say “leave him alone, Chris is my Jesus boy.” Chris must have took his dad’s words to heart and let it inspire him to grow his hair like Jesus.
George also had to defend Chris against a turkey on their farm. When Chris was around two he was teasing the turkey, then he got bored so started going back into the house, at which point the turkey began to chase him and flare his wings out at him. This turkey was probably bigger than Chris. When George found out what had happened then that was it. – no one, including their farm turkey, was going to mess with his Jesus boy. The axe came out and the turkey met its demise, and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving or Christmas. Theresa roasted the turkey that night but it was so big she had to cut it in half and cook it in two different roasters.
And boy did Chris love his dad back in equal measure. He spent lots of time helping him on their farm – plucking chickens, gathering eggs, milking the cow, spraying the milk from the cow directly into the barn kitten’s mouths, and mowing the huge farmyard with a push mower. George was an amazing man and Chris wanted to follow in his footsteps – figuratively and literally. When George walked through the snow Chris would follow behind him stepping directly into his footsteps and bouncing along behind him.
Karen and Sarah were closest in age to him and since he was the baby he had to bear the brunt of their sisterly teasing. It was a typical childhood sibling love-hate dynamic but ultimately it was the love that outshone. Chris and Karen would play soccer and basketball together but then get in a fight and then the game would just be over. Into adulthood, Chris became close with his big sisters and loved their children beyond measure.
Not only was Chris the favorite but he was also the one to “break the mold” so to speak. He was the only boy not born in the evening, not born on a Sunday, and was born on an odd numbered year. He liked to be a little bit different, a little more unique. He had his own unique taste in music, art, photography and clothes, he even had an eyebrow ring when he was younger. And his family loved him even more for his uniqueness.
Chris loved all of his siblings – but he was particular close to Terry and Fred. He lived with Terry in Regina for a time and loved Terry’s dog Molly like his own.
His closest bond, though, was with his brother Fred. They had an indescribable bond that was tangible to anyone who was in the same room as them. The two of them could sit down with a beer and talk for hours, about anything. Often times it would be time to go home and Kristen had to pry Chris away from Fred so that they could get on the road. Chris and Fred were so similar in personality, values, and mindset. They are both empaths and displayed the same non-judgement and compassion to other people. There is nothing Chris wouldn’t do for Fred and vice versa – so much so that Chris even risked and ultimately sacrificed his life for Fred’s daughters.
Chris also had so many friends and was loved by so many people. Everyone that met him instantly felt his genuine kindness. Many people have expressed that they felt that Chris was one of the most genuine, funniest, chillest and coolest people that they knew. His best friend Lance and he met when they were around 3 or 4 and they lived on neighboring farms. Both were very shy, so their moms arranged play dates prior to school so they’d have each other for support. They even wrote an essay about their friendship, submitted it to a contest, and each won $100. They grew up together and did everything together. In high school they were trouble-makers – often getting stuck in Lance’s cars out on the grid roads and Lance’s dad would get the tractor to pull them out. Eventually this just became a fairly regular occurrence and Lance’s dad just knew to fire up the tractor if Lance called. They were still best friends until the end. Chris was Lance’s best man at his wedding and Lance was Chris’. Even though they were very different when it came to their interests and hobbies, they had a childhood bond that would never, and will still never, be broken.
Chris also became close with his friend Eric – he and Eric went to Australia and New Zealand together in their twenties and lived and worked in Melbourne for a few months. Years later Chris would even visit this Melbourne home with his wife Kristen. Chris and Kristen were lucky enough to do a Mexico trip with Eric and some other friends a few years ago. Eric stood up with Chris at his wedding and they were close friends until the end.
Darryl also came into Chris’ life in recent years and they instantly became like brothers. Darryl is MUCH shorter than Chris (most people are – but this difference is extreme, as you will see in the slideshow to come). Darryl even said that when Chris hugged him Darryl felt like a small child – but loved the hugs, nonetheless. Travelling and NFL football kept them close. They took ten days and drove in Darryl’s car from Outlook to Florida and attended a few NFL games on the way. They hiked the Great Smokey Mountains and visited Nashville. They were in each other’s wedding parties. Darryl will always cherish these memories and knows Chris will be there in spirit at their Monday Night football date nights.
For his professional life, Chris chose to work in the trades, and he excelled at them. He became a gas-fitter, plumber, and electrician. He had a dream of starting his own plumbing business one day and had a notebook where he jotted down ideas and to-do lists and potential logo doodles. He even mentioned to Joe that it would be cool if they started the business together – an uncle and nephew venture.
He was so good with his hands and even worked on carpentry projects in his garage and built a lot of the furniture for his and Kristen’s home. He was truly a jack of all trades. Kristen would mention to him how she thought a piece of furniture in a store looked cool and Chris would say “I can build that”. And he certainly did.
He was also so creative and artistic. He had such a passion for art, music, and photography. He literally always had to have music playing – even in the shower. Joe had even gifted him a shower Bluetooth speaker. When Kristen and Chris drove somewhere – even if just to the grocery store – he couldn’t drive away without picking the right song first – much to Kristen’s impatience. He was always discovering new music and new bands and introducing people to it – including to Kristen. If Kristen wanted to hear some new music all she had to do was go through his Apple music library. When Kristen expressed an interest in learning how to drum, he surprised her one Christmas with a drum set and encouraged her to take drum lessons. He really loved live music and attending concerts. In fact, he and Kristen had their first unofficial date at a Bahamas concert. When Kristen needed a ticket to the show after it was sold out, Chris answered her Facebook call seeking out a ticket. When she and her friend Negar met him at the concert, Negar said “this is the guy you need to date”. She knew immediately. Little did Negar know, she had planted the seed that ultimately grew into the marriage of two soulmates.
He was also stylish and loved expressing himself through clothing. One of his favorite things he did in Japan was shopping at the vintage stores in Tokyo. Chris was just genuinely cool without even trying and so many people that have met him immediately thought so too. He liked good-quality things, but he wasn’t snobby about it. This was especially true about coffee and cocktails. Ask any of Chris’ family and friends who they think is the biggest coffee connoisseur and they will likely say Chris.
Kristen and Chris went to the same high school, but Chris was the cool guy in grade twelve and Kristen was the nerdy girl in grade nine. Being a small school, they knew of each other but their only interaction was when Chris went to Sarah’s Cottage with his friends and Kristen would serve him coffee. It wasn’t until years later that they connected at the Bahamas concert. And they instantly connected, discovered that they were very similar people, had very similar interests, and had an undeniable spark. They fell head over heels in love with each other. They were married at Chris’ childhood country church near Burr in August 2019.
Chris travelled extensively before meeting Kristen – but did most of his travelling with her. They journeyed with friends to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. They travelled to Tofino together with Kristen’s parents. They had tropical holidays in Cuba and Mexico. They did a road trip from Arizona along the west coast of the United States up to Vancouver. It was in San Francisco near the Golden Gate Bridge that Chris proposed to Kristen. It was easily one of Kristen’s happiest and most cherished moments.
Last year they travelled to Bali, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Most importantly, they fulfilled their dream of living abroad and travelling in Australia. They lived three blocks from the most beautiful beach that they considered their back yard and just enjoyed a simpler life than their lives back home. A life full of beach days, appreciating the ocean, nature and sunsets, learning how to surf, and making lifelong Australian friends. Chris would want everyone to know that if you have a dream that you think is unrealistic, don’t listen to that thought. Do the things you want to do now, because life is short and beautiful, and you need to make the most of it while you’re here on Earth.
Kristen and Chris had the perfect marriage, and it wasn’t uncommon for people to comment on that and to voice the inspiration they drew from them. They were truly soulmates and best friends. God put them in each other’s lives so that they could help each other grow and become better people and to learn about themselves, to experience true love and then to display and express that love to others as a source of inspiration. Chris supported Kristen in ways she could never have imagined. When Kristen experienced lows during bouts of her depression Chris was her rock. She could tell him anything and he would listen without judgement and respond with compassion. His love for her was unconditional and unwavering. She always, always felt supported, safe and loved with Chris. He was her person, and she was his.
Kristen and Chris’ family and friends admired so many qualities about Chris. He was a truly kind, compassionate, selfless, non-judgmental, gentle, empathetic and sensitive soul. He was faithful and a man of God and would attend his and Kristen’s Catholic church every Sunday. He would give the shirt off his back to help others. Many times, he would be over at his friend’s places helping them with plumbing or electrical issues which is fitting because his main love language was acts of service. Even the little things – he would display love for Kristen by making her coffee every single morning, scratching off her frosted windshield for her before work, and every single morning would kiss her forehead before he left for work saying “I love you, have a good day”. And even though Kristen was groggy and grumpy she would always say it back because it was important.
Chris was also intelligent, thoughtful, patient and witty. He thought before he spoke, he did not rush anyone, and he truly was the most non-judgmental person you could imagine. His subtle wit and unique sense of humor shone through too. He made Kristen laugh every single day and she would lovingly say to him “you’re so funny babe”, and she meant it. His friends and family agreed.
Chris’ final moments on earth were a true reflection of the man he was. He would do anything for his loved ones, and he made the ultimate sacrifice to save others. He would want you all to celebrate his life and recognize the importance of living life to the beat of your OWN drum. Let his love for others, his sacrifice, his zest for life, his ambition, his adventurous spirit and his amazing personal qualities be an inspiration to us all.
To quote one of his all-time favorite bands, Modest Mouse, “Don’t worry, even when things end up a bit too heavy we’ll all float on”.
Kristen's Letter
My dearest Chris, my babe, my beebs, my love.
I’m still in shock as I begin this letter to you, at least I think I am, and part of me feels silly for writing it because it feels like I’m still going to see you come through the door. I know the hardest parts are yet to come. When the dust settles, and life goes back to “normal” (whatever that means now), I know my longing for you will be immeasurable. I know you will be there with me, but it will never be the same. Your side of our bed will be empty, and I am struggling to comprehend that.
I remember telling you how my worst fear was you being taken from me. You know I had anxiety over that. I even told you that I was going to go first. I forgive you for not listening. I could never be mad at you anyway, because you never gave me anything to be mad at. And how can I be mad at you for leaving Earth as a hero and demonstrating the ultimate act of love? My mom always said bewilderingly, “you and Chris never argue, do you?” And I would proudly tell her, “no, we don’t”. I would have friends sometimes telling me about an argument they had with their partner, and I would just nod along and listen, because I couldn’t relate. I would come home to you feeling all the more grateful that you were mine.
Your patience complemented my more reactive nature. Your chill nature balanced my more anxious one. You know that I’ve struggled my whole life with mental illness, and I remember when I was younger that I feared the person I would ultimately end up with would run from the dark sides of me. You welcomed those sides in. You gave me the non-judgmental refuge I yearned for in a partner. You gave me support, compassion, and unconditional and unwavering love. It was those moments that showed me that I had truly been blessed with my soulmate. God put you in my life to be my rock. When my close friends and family met you, they all confidently told me “he is the one”.
It was you that brought God back into my life. I always remember thinking that you and your family coming into my life was not coincidental. God wanted my faith to be strengthened and so he sent me you and your amazing family.
You have taught me so many things. You have made me a better person and helped me grow. You taught me to be a better listener, to be more selfless, to be grateful, to be more faithful, to stop and reflect before speaking, to have more empathy for others, to try and not let things get to me, and to be curious and not judgmental.
You showed me new music, you showed me new art. You taught me how to do basic handy stuff (actually – not really – you just did those things. I guess now I have to learn but I also know that our amazing guy friends will help me). I loved that we both shared a love of music and had the same taste in it. I love that we shared the same taste in television and that some of our favorite nights were just having some negronis, gin and sodas or wine, and watching a movie. I loved our little dance parties we had in the kitchen – dancing like true idiots and I loved you wrapping your arms around me from behind while I cooked. I will miss your little kisses to me in the morning before you went to work, and the coffee you made. I will miss your pancakes that you made from scratch and I will try and recreate that recipe. I will miss you telling me I’m beautiful even when I felt I wasn’t. I will miss your sense of humor and you made me laugh out loud almost daily. I will fondly remember that we had so much fun together doing mundane things. I’ll always remember how we went to Costco a few days before you passed with the only intention of renewing our membership. You said, “should we look around since we’re here?” We ended up spending $350 and then laughed at that and how it felt like we were becoming a “typical” married couple.
I was also in awe of your photography skills. You and I could look at the same thing, take the same picture, and yet you knew how to do the angle right to actually make it an artistic picture. You had the eye for photography, and I did not.
I’m so glad we had the same passion for travelling and that we experienced so many amazing places and experiences together. I’m especially glad that we bit the bullet and did our year-long Australia trip. We knew that people thought it was a bit unconventional, but it was us. We lived the life that we wanted. I will fondly remember the simpler life we lived there. Our beach days, our attempts at surfing, going down to the amazing coffee shops, going for our walks to The Strand, and admiring the ocean sunsets. We would tell people that we were taking a year of retirement early, and that if you want to do something out of the ordinary or have a dream that you want to pursue, just do it. You never know how much time you have.
I will miss you beyond comprehension. I will try my best to live my life and make you proud. I will follow through with learning my drumming and my Spanish lessons. I will be a vessel for Jesus and spread the word of His glory. I will try and be as selfless, giving, empathetic and loving as you were. I will try and be the best aunt I can be to our nieces and nephews. I will try my best to continue to grow and become a better person by emulating you and remembering everything you taught me. I will continue to travel and try to live my life to the fullest and I know that you will be there with me every day.
Your mom told me yesterday what your middle names meant. John is for Saint John – the Saint of Love. And Michael, the arch angel is the Saint of Strength. When she told me that it made so much sense. You are now my saint of love and strength. The love I have felt in the last few days is immeasurable, and the strength that I have been finding has been coming from you.
People say: “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone”. In my case, this isn’t true. I honestly knew what I had while you were here.
I will love you forever my love,
Your babe,
Kristen
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