Edward George Dzuba

​Edward (Eddie/Ed) was a man whose heart was grander than his stature. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on March 30, 1934, and at the age of five moved with his family to Cooksville Ontario. Despite spending years of his early childhood in a hospital bed, he accelerated through the education system thanks largely to the personalised schooling he received from many candy-stripers at sick kids’ hospital. He learned that in order to get ahead in life you need to cooperate with others, and these finely honed interpersonal skills were Eddie’s superpower all through his life. A man who forever valued people connections, good food, drinks, and laughter with friends.

​Eddie grew up working on the family farm, helping cultivate fruits and vegetables and later driving semitrailer loads of produce back and forth to markets in Florida. He worked on pipelines in Ontario, at a rocket fuel plant in Manitoba, and for many years was a business administrator at a machine shop in Vernon, BC. Around this time Ed got serious about his hobby of gardening and began Top of the Valley farm, a 26-acre market garden near Vernon where he was known as 'the King of Corn'. It was also in the Okanagan that Ed started working with BC Hydro on large scale construction projects. Later he transferred to Vancouver Island where he became a representative for the Power Smart program, and finally retired in 1998 after working 22-years with BC Hydro.  

Eddie was a charmer with an endearing personality. Not surprisingly he had many sweeties in his life but none more dear to him than Doreen, Bibi, and Avril. He met Doreen Olivia Partington in Toronto, they married in 1955, and had four children together. They moved to Manitoba in the early 60’s and settled in the Okanagan Valley where Ed built the family home. After their separation, Ed fell in love with Bibianne LaFrance and married Bibi in 1979. They lived in Vernon, BC, then moved to Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island in the mid 80s. Both Ed and Bibi were very active members of the community; they enjoyed their sports such as curling, golf and aqua-fit; they belonged to walking groups and Tai chi associations; they ran a small hairstyling business out of their home; and they did a whole lot of salmon fishing. (Ed had an insatiable appetite for fish.) With 40+ years of wonderful memories in his heart, Ed lost his soul mate in 2014. After being a lonely man for five years Ed moved into Berwick seniors’ community and met Avril Horwood. He recently expressed “Finding romance in your 80s, who would have thunk it. I’m a lucky man”. Avril and Ed were inseparable during their time together, often caught laughing and holding hands. It comforts us knowing they both passed within a few short months of each other. 

Edward is survived by his loving three sons, Wayne Dzuba (Noreen Redden) of Athabasca, Bob Dzuba (Rena) of Grand Prairie, and Mikhail Dzuba (Motoi Matsukura) of Vancouver; son in law Llyod Miller; his grandchildren, Michelle, Lori, Jeff, Bobbi, Ricky, and Zachary; he also leaves behind several great-grandchildren, as well as many extended family members and friends. He was predeceased by his wife, Bibianne (LaFrance) Dzuba; his sweetheart, Avril Horwood; mother of his children, Doreen (Partington) Froh; daughter, Mary-Ann Miller; parents, John and Ann (Zdrill) Dzuba; and sister, Angelina Drier.

​Ed Dzuba was a humble man, though he was never shy to make new friends and foster meaningful connections with people. Those who knew him said that he had a heart of gold. Eddie touched the lives of many and we all benefitted from his warm hugs. He is missed by countless people and will remain in our hearts forever. You are invited to send messages to Ed or add your memories about him here on this website. A Celebration of Life is tentatively being planned for early summer in the Okanagan, updates will be added to this website.  

Ed thought flowers were nice, treat yourself to a fragrant bouquet, he would have liked that.