NORMAN NICHOLAS BURKOWSKI

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NORMAN NICHOLAS BURKOWSKI Peacefully, on October 6, 2005, with his family by his side, Norman passed away at the age of 51 years. He is survived by his loving wife Leanne; his mother Frances; brother Konrad (Eleanor) and their children, Adam and Jordan; sister Maria (Gord) Mackay and their daughter Lindsay. He was predeceased by his father Edward in 1962. Norman will also be sadly missed by his mother-in-law Freda Holmberg and sister-in-laws, Melody (Nick) Misisco and Candace (Ray) Boily; his six nieces and a nephew. Norman was a unique individual, passionate in his quest for thrilling experiences and for making sure that others would share in the fun. He would innocently ask you if you had ever wanted to jump out of an airplane, for example, and if you were naive to say yes, you would find a parachute strapped to your back in an airplane at 3,000 feet two weeks hence. He took people at their word and those who were fortunate to have known him could always count on the same from him, no matter what. Over his lifetime he also enjoyed doing many other sports - dirt biking, down hill skiing, scuba diving, snowmobiling and ice boating and excelled at every thing he did. He was an avid drag racing fan and seldom a year went by that he and Leanne missed attending a national NHRA event. Norman married Leanne in 1977 and then obtained his commercial diving license at the Coastal School of Deep Sea Diving in Oakland, CA. He worked as a commercial diver for Underwater Specialists in Calgary, AB and found himself in many dangerous situations. He always dealt with them with a cool head and walked away unharmed. In 1979 he pursued a career as an electrician and spent many years working in Selkirk, Winnipeg and remote areas of the north. Then in 1998 he decided to start his own electrical contracting company and focus on providing quality services directly to his own industrial clients. Norman was intelligent, inventive and creative - a true craftsman and a perfectionist - and he began to grow a successful business. People who came in contact with him both respected and trusted him and he was always willing to give more of himself to make others happy. Our family would like to thank Drs. Maksymiuk, Hitchon and Akra, Emily Kuban and the nurses and staff in chemo and radiation therapy at CancerCare and Health Science Centre for their support in Norman's fight against cancer and the compassionate care they provided. A Memorial Mass will be held to celebrate Norman's life at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 11 at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Cooks Creek, MB with Fr. Martin Barbary officiating In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Norman's memory to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation Inc., or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are being made by Gilbart Funeral Chapel, Selkirk, MB, please call 204-482-3271 or 1-800-230-6482 if you require further information.

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 09, 2005