Frank Stemerowicz

January 15, 1939 - March 2, 2021

Following a brief illness, Frank Stemerowicz passed away peacefully on March 2, 2021 at the age of 82 at Birchwood Terrace. He is survived by his sisters Helen Stemerowicz and Antoinette (Everette) Carpenter, nephew Michael (Sandra) Carpenter, great-niece Maggie Carpenter, niece Dana (Ron) Smith,

great-nephews Benjamin, Nathan, Thomas and William Smith. He was predeceased by his parents Michael and Zofia Stemerowicz, brother Anthony and sister Josephine.

Frank was the son of proud Polish immigrants Michael and Zofia. He was born in Norman and spent his whole life there. He attended Westward and Northward schools as well as the Kenora Keewatin District High School. Sports figured strongly throughout his life. He played high school football for the Mustangs

where he was known by his teammates as "Moose". He followed the NFL and of course hockey at the amateur, semi-pro and professional levels. He was a skilled skater, even teaching his nephew how to skate at the Norman Rink.

Following graduation, and a few miscellaneous jobs, Frank began working for the Ministry of Transportation, a job that took him all over northern Ontario where he was responsible for inspecting and ensuring that new roadways were properly installed. He often received calls on his CB from co-workers requesting advice on work-related issues and he was happy to offer assistance. He kept meticulous log books and rarely missed a day of work.

In his late 20's, Frank's health began to decline for reasons that were unclear. It wasn't until a trip to the Mayo Clinic where he was diagnosed with a rare disorder. He wasn't supposed to live much past 35 years old but he wasn't about to give in. He returned to work with the Ministry of Transportation and retired after over 30 years of employment.

Frank's tastes were simple; meat, potatoes, homemade bread and of course, being Polish, pierogies, borscht and cabbage rolls. By all accounts, mostly his own, he was pretty competent cooking on the barbecue and often made steaks and hamburgers on the grill. In his youth, he enjoyed tending to the gardens, fishing at the Norman Dam, hunting and feeding the many forms of wildlife that visited his property. In his latter years, he prided himself on his gardening skills, growing tomatoes and potatoes. After his sister Josephine passed, he planted gladiolas, one of her favourite flowers, every year in her memory.

For years, Frank had an almost daily ritual of going for coffee at A&W with his best friend since childhood, Allan Sutherland, where they would discuss, laugh, argue and reminisce about life in general. He loved his blue Mustang and Ford Ranger truck. He often made trips to International Falls for lunch with his retired buddies and shopping. He made trips to Winnipeg to visit his sister and brother-in-law and drove out to Kingston, Ontario when his niece and nephew attended university. Frank also visited his niece and family in Guelph, Ontario. He had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to his parents' homeland, Poland with his mother and sister Josephine to meet family members he had only heard of from

letters and telephone calls.

He loved movies, amassing a huge collection over his lifetime. Westerns and comedies were especially enjoyed. Frank was a woodworker and tool collector, making cabinets for his family and children's furniture for friends. He loved any animal but especially dogs; they knew he was genuine. A favourite pastime in retirement was watching the changes in daily interest rates!

He was known by his family and close friends as a real character. His interactions with people were straightforward, genuine and unfiltered. Frank's tenacity and strong work ethic won the respect of his colleagues during his long career with the Ministry of Transportation. As his eyesight began to fail, his focus shifted towards a love of word search puzzles and playing the lottery. He was generous and caring to his family and he will be greatly missed.

Special thanks to Frank's sister Helen who looked after him for many years, the staff at Birchwood Terrace for their support and kindness during his stay there and his friends for their help, care and concern. Thank you to Dr. Bowerman and the LWDH. Also, heartfelt thanks to Haley and Randy Smith, Paul and Marj Jackson and Al Mowat for being at Frank's burial when the family couldn't be there. Also, thank you to Cory Jinkerson at Brown Funeral Home for your care, kindness and compassion in carrying out Frank's wishes.

Due to COVID, a celebration of life will hopefully be held at a later date. Memory donations may be made to It's A Dog's Life, Kenora, ON.