Obituary of Henry Andrew Kobliuk

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, grandfather, uncle and friend, Henry Kobliuk. Henry passed away on Sunday, October 16, 2016 in Dawson Creek, B.C. at the age of 76 years. He was born in Weasel Creek Alberta and came to Dawson Creek at a young age with his Mother and Father and his six siblings, a busy household it must have been. He grew up in Dawson Creek doing what I would imagine most young boys did at the time, running wild and living life. He particularly liked fast cars and spent many an hour in the emergency care of the Dawson Creek hospital being patched up from his "cars gone bad" days. He had a passion for sports beginning at a young age. He was an avid swimmer and diver, he played baseball and broom ball to name a few. He met my mom Mary Short in his early 20s whom he married shortly thereafter and settled down to eventually raise 3 children. Family for my Dad began in Dawson Creek and although, too young to remember everything, I believe he enjoyed camping, sports and spending time with family and friends as a young father. Soon our family moved to Mackenzie where my Dad went to work in the Sawmill and learned his trade as a millwright. He remained in this job for some 25 years. Aside from repairing and maintaining large machinery, he found an opportunity within this trade to apply his creative and artful side, building some interesting scrap chain sculptures such as plant stands, beer steins, ash trays to name a few. Turns out he had a rather interesting talent for this. Growing up in Mackenzie did not offer much in the form of entertainment, however, our family enjoyed a lot of time camping and fishing in the outback of this little town. My Mom and Dad enjoyed getting together with the many close friends they shared throughout their time in Mackenzie. My Dad continued with his love of sports playing softball, coaching softball, and heralding a few curling leagues. When not playing sports or otherwise busy doing something else, you could usually find him in front of the only TV in our house watching the Vancouver Canucks or the Toronto Blue Jays, or any other sport that happened to be on for that matter. My Mom and Dad returned to Dawson Creek some many years later to care for my Moms ailing parents. My Dad went to work in Tumbler Ridge at this time and remained here until he eventually retired. My Mom and Dad were blessed with three grandchildren, Madeline, Attillio and Emma-Lee, all of whom they loved to spend time with whenever possible. Tio and Emma were blessed to be able to be close to Mom and Dad and they were able to enjoy being grandparents. Shortly after his retirement he suffered significant injury in a fall that broke his hip, wrist, his leg and heal. This was a long term recovery with multiple surgeries leaving him with permanent chronic pain over his entire body. It was at this point that his health began to deteriorate. When my Mom was diagnosed with Cancer they both came to the point where they were not able to care for themselves which eventually led them to Peace Haven in Dawson Creek. My Mom's stay here was short as cancer took her less than a year after arriving leaving my Dad alone for the first time in some 40 years. A sad and lonely time for him for sure. But as time passed and his health continued to decline a small blessing rose from his illness where although his mind at times was sharp as a pin, at other times not so much, and he found solace in believing at times that his sister Helen who was with him at Peace Haven, was in fact my Mom. Sadly Peace Haven closed their doors shortly after and the residents were moved to other locations, My Dad and Auntie Helen went to Fort St John. This was difficult as they were no longer close enough to family and friends that allowed for periodic visits. Eventually they both returned to their home town and Rotary Manor. The next few years of my Dads life I believe were touched with kindness and caring as the staff at Rotary Manor, my Auntie Helen and cousin Kimmer Johnston became my Dads family. My Dad remained a loyal fan of the Canucks and Blue Jays and loved to wear his sports garb. Kimmer, spent many hours watching the games with my Dad and I don't think the channel on his TV ever moved from the sports channel. Hard of hearing he was, but short of sight he was not. I think my Dad began his journey with Angels when he arrived at Peace Haven as I cannot think of another word to describe the staff at this facility. Their kindness and patience and genuine care for the people here is truly amazing and takes a special type of person to do this day in and day out. I take heart in this fact and am truly thankful to everyone who walked him through his last years. There really are angels amongst us. Henry's family would like to invite you to come help celebrate Henry's life on Friday, October 21, 2016 at 2:00 pm at Rotary Manor, Dawson Creek, B.C. Interment will be held at a later date. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Henry to the Rotary Manor Resident Council Fund 1121-90 Avenue Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 5A3, or to the Canadian Diabetes Association Box 26331 STN BRM B Toronto, Ontario, M7Y 4R1. Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home and Crematorium