Tony Kotyk

Anthony Nelson Kotyk (Tony), 81 
Dauphin, Manitoba  
Wednesday August 17th 2022 
 
Tony passed away at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre on August 17, 2022, surrounded by his family. Tony was born in Shortdale, Manitoba, on March 27, 1941 to Anne and Nick Kotyk. The family moved to the RM of Dauphin in 1951. As a child he grew up playing baseball, spending time with his brothers and sister and working on the family farm. Tony’s curiosity and love for the great outdoors started at a very young age, and his many adventures lead him to become the great storyteller that he was.  
 
Tony had many occupations in his life. In his early years he was a rodeo clown and a lookout on the fire tower on the north side of Riding Mountain National Park. He also worked for Pepsi Co.  
 
On June 1, 1968, Tony married the love of his life, Janice Bradshaw, in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, and they spent 54 wonderful years together. They moved to Dauphin in 1973, and life became busy, starting a family in 1978. In those years, Tony worked as a carpet layer and then went to work for Manitoba Crop Insurance, first as a field adjuster and then as an insurance agent. He retired in 1997. 

Tony was a man of many talents and hobbies. He was an avid gardener and took a lot of pride in his produce and shared the bounty of his efforts with others. His love for creation caused him to spend much time outdoors in the form of hiking, canoeing and taking his family camping. Depending on the time of year, you could always find him out cutting wood, hunting, fishing and trapping. He took great joy in being an outdoorsman and showing proper respect for nature, which he passed down to both friends and family, especially his two daughters. 

Tony was always a great shot with a rifle, especially when felling trees with his son in law, while Janice was herding cats into the house. He was always quick to speed up that Bronco of his when on the back roads or bush trails. While his sense of humor was never at the expense of others, one could sometimes see an impish grin when he tried to pull a fast one. Not that he would ever admit it. 
 
Above all else, his love for his family and strong faith in his God, Jehovah, defined who he really was. Tony served as an elder in the Dauphin congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses for many years and he was well known in the community as someone who was always willing to lend a helping hand.  The friendships he made along the way were a treasured part of his life. He taught by example, by being a loving husband and father. and passed on his legacy to his children. One of the main focuses in his life, was speaking with others about his love for God and sharing the wonderful hope for the future.  
 
Tony is survived by his wife Janice, daughters Tammy and Jayme and son-in-law Adam Hansson. He is also survived by his brother Walter and his wife Linda, and sister Eileen.  
 
He was predeceased by his older brother Hilton and his parents Anne and Nick. 

Should friends so desire, donations may be made to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, or the Parkland Humane Society. 

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