ROBERT RONALD KUZAK

Condolences & Memories (7 entries)

• Bob, Pat and the girls were our next door neighbours at Ingolf for many years. When ever you were working on a project and you needed a hand, Bob was there to help. We have many good memories of sitting around the table at the cottage. Bob had a warm heart and always had a smile on his face. We will miss him. - Posted by: jim keele and kathy keele (friends) on: Aug 19, 2023

• I met Bob when I joined the Southglen Fiddlers around 1997. I told Bob I was going to make the fiddle my livelihood and he said “ I’ll help you “. And he did, for the next 25 years. We became best of friends, once I got over his direct, if not brutal honesty. If Bob said “ you’re playing out of tune Larry”!, I knew I was, but didn’t like to be told in that direct, blunt way (no sugar coating). But, once I got over the shock, it was always followed by why, and how to correct it. Bob had an exceptional ear for music, (likely from learning the old Ukrainian tunes from his mother singing or whistling them). Bob may not always have been right, but he always told me what he thought, and I learned to appreciate it. He helped physically and with lots of good advice when I was renovating an old building to start Martineau Strings, a fiddle school, fiddle repair shop, and restaurant. Bob was always available when I needed a substitute teacher, or help with anything. He spent countless hours playing in the studios, in the repair shop and on stage or coffee in the restaurant. When I started a major renovation on a house in Norwood Flats, it was the same, advice, help. In fact, the house floor plan changed on his advise. And again when I was starting Manitoba Fiddle Association (MFA), advice and help. Bob became a major contributor to the MFA by notating a fiddle tune my each newsletter. Through his ability to listen to listen to a tune and then write it out, he has contributed greatly to the preservation of our fiddle music history. I learnt so much from Bob about music, construction, life. Bob was involved in everything in my life since I met him. Bob gave me my last fiddle lesson and sent his last contribution to Manitoba Fiddle Association for his hospital bed. His greatest fiddle lesson came to my email,” SLOW DOWN “ I believe that applies to everything in life. I’ll miss him dearly. - Posted by: Larry Martineau (Friend) on: Aug 12, 2023

• Mr K, as I called him, was a wise man with many stories of his childhood that was told in such detail that you felt you were living in this time with him. From our time of being neighbors, I could count on him for gardening tips, advice on raising dogs, and house maintenance. Our family enjoyed going over and sitting with him by the fire, a thing he absolutely enjoyed alongside his sweet Duffy aka Chorky. Mr. K would teach me simple words in Ukrainian and encouraged fiddle lessons for our son, a true testament to how much he enjoyed his art of playing. One thing I'll remember is Mr. K's love for his beloved wife Pat whom he would speak of alot. Rest in paradise Mr. Kuzak, we will never forget the care and attention you gave to our family and will celebrate your memory always. - Posted by: Ariane Bruyere (Friend ) on: Jul 04, 2023

• I just listened to Bob's Southglen Fiddler's CD. It brings back memories of him playing violin and our mom singing and playing a mouth organ. In the 1940's Bob took violin lessons once a week at the Bornoff School of Music on Bannatyne Ave. The cost was $1 per lesson, a lot of money at the time. Bob went there by bicycle. This gift of music he shared with family and friends for the rest of his life. I will miss him a lot - Posted by: Allan W. Kuzak (brother) on: Jul 02, 2023

• Our sincere condolences to the Kuzak family. We met Bob around 31 years ago having bought the cottage closest to his on Long Pine Lake, Ingolf, Ontario. Our cottage was in a primal state of build. Bob lent us a immersible heater to warm water in a bucket for dishes and bathing. Extremely helpful. We still have the very old home built trailer he sold us. Fond memories of his violin playing, his friendly neighbourly helpfulness and his interesting stories. We’ve missed his presence the last few years here at the lake. - Posted by: Josephine Chanin & Ken Sweet (Neighbours at Ingolf, Ontario ) on: Jun 25, 2023

• Bob was my big brother. I always looked up to him and he was always there for me when I needed him. He bought me my first pair of hockey skates in the early 1950s. The memory of him and his wife Patricia (Pat) goes back to when I was 6 years old. I have many, many fond memories of him. He will be missed. Bob and I worked on the family tree since 2003. I learned a lot about our family, with Bob providing key pieces of the information. His name was Robert, but my mother called him “Bobby”. I could not have asked for a better brother. He was born in Point Douglas and had an intuitive relationship with the "Point", having been born during the 1930s at the height of the great depression. This would have a lifetime effect on how he saw things and how he spent his money. He was known to tell and share many stories of growing up in Point Douglas. - Posted by: Stanley Kuzak (brother) on: Jun 24, 2023

• I was fortunate to see and talk to Bob the week before his passing. We traded a few tales and was his usual self. We started our work in the MTS assessment course and were selected to go to customer service. Over the years we traded information and helped each other. We were never very far apart on and off the job. Many trips to his Ingolf cabins. He endured family losses but was not one to complain. Lots of ‘free’ advice but constructive and helpful. I knew most of his immediate family and was treated as one. My sincere condolences to all of you. - Posted by: Robert Bull (Long-time friend & Co-worker ) on: Jun 24, 2023