October 11, 2019
After struggling for several years with health problems, Frank entered into eternal life Friday, October 11, 2019 at the age of 94.
Frank was dearly loved by his wife, Agnes, in their marriage of 70 years, and by their children, John, Michael (Cheryl) and Mary Hof (Gerry) and by their grandchildren, Steven (Siobhan), Paul (Syssi), Christina (Brett), Michelle (Kevin) and Christopher (Kaitlin) as well as by their great grandchildren, Nash, Nixon and Vann.
Frank was born into a Polish family in Zakliczyn, Poland in 1925 and at the age of 15 was taken as slave labour to Germany by the Nazis during WWII. Liberated by the Americans, he made his way to Belgium where he married Agnes in 1948. Immigrating to Canada in 1950 they worked on a farm in Killdeer, Saskatchewan to fulfill a commitment made to the farmer who had sponsored them.
In 1952 they departed Saskatchewan to seek a better life; arriving at the train station they decided to take the first train regardless of the direction it was traveling. The train went west! In Duncan BC, Frank first found employment with MacMillan Bloedel as a mechanic in Glenora and then, in order to secure a full time reliable position, he worked on the green chain in Chemainus before acquiring his formal certification for heavy duty mechanics.
In 1959, with three small children, they moved to Glenora where they purchased an old farm house on 122 acres. Frank loved his Hereford beef cattle and working on the farm while continuing his full time employment. He was an expert at making beer, apple cider, wine, sausages, salamis and smoking fish. After the mill in Chemainus closed he worked at Kelsey Bay until retirement and then, when Mike turned the farm into a dairy operation, Frank and Agnes built a new home in Duncan and Frank spent his retirement years doing what he enjoyed: working at home in his garden and helping on the farm repairing equipment or making something new and simply helping out where he was needed. He was still baling hay at the age of 89.
Frank loved his Catholic faith. From their earliest days in the Cowichan Valley he was active in the Church community of St. Edward's by offering volunteer service in whatever capacity was required: lawn maintenance, ushering, serving, training altar servers, the maintenance committee, the heritage committee, a member of the Knights of Columbus, helping to erect a Marian Grotto and using his skills to fashion various objects of devotion as well as candle stands which presently adorn not only his own parish church but also that of Christ the King in Courtenay and at the Cathedral in Victoria.
His family would like to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for him throughout the years especially Dr. Daniel Phillipson, who was his family physician, par excellence, for over 25 years.
Frank was predeceased by his parents, John and Aniela Laszczyk and by his brother Andrezej and his sisters, Stefania, Juzefa and Janina.
Reception of the Body and a short prayer service will be held at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Duncan BC on Thursday, October 17th at 7 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, October 18th at 10:30 am with interment to follow at Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to consider making a donation to the Grotto Maintenance Fund at St. Edward the Confessor Church or to the Cowichan Valley Basket Society.
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race; I have kept the faith." Timothy 4:7-8