In loving memory of Alphonse Patrick Kosik, age 83, who passed away peacefully on June 12th, 2018.
Al was born on March 17th, 1935 to Walter and Agnes Kosik in Wishart, Saskatchewan. Their fourth born child and first boy, he and his sisters (Victoria, Stephie and Julia) and brothers (Albin and Edward) learned at a young age what hard work was all about. After spending his childhood on the family farm, Al left home as a young man to work on the Pipeline. In 1957, this brought him to Dryden, where he met Ursula. They were married in 1959, making Dryden their home and going on to have three children, Sheila (Jim), Janet (Gerry) and Ronald (Barb).
Al eventually left pipelining and began working for Legault Contracting in the forest and trucking industry. It wasn’t until he started his job at Hutchison Contracting as a heavy equipment mechanic that he found his true calling. Al was a jack of all trades, whether it was plumbing, carpentry or electrical. It wasn’t unusual for him to get calls at all hours to go out to fix a broken down machine or help clear a train derailment. Al worked long, hard hours and Ronald often worked alongside him, benefiting from the experience although anyone who knew Al can understand this was no easy task.
Al and Ursula enjoyed travelling but nothing compared to their special fishing hole on Lorne Lake. Summer would bring out their competitive spirits as they tallied fish counts and sizes-Al didn’t like to be beaten but he had met his match in Ursula. He also loved to play crib and many games were played at their kitchen table with Ursula keeping a wary eye as Al was known to peg a few extra points if he could sneak them.
Once retired, Al purchased a dozer, back hoe and gravel truck and started road building and land clearing at their property on Leach Road. He kept a road ploughed all winter so Ursula could walk the dog. He would spend countless hours on his toys and tinkering in his garage. His carpentry skills produced numerous stools, cutting boards, and birdhouses and he dreamt up many inventions to keep the deer out of Ursula’s garden. When Christmas came around, he took great pride in his decorations, building his own stars and hanging new lights every day until he was satisfied. In later years he also enjoyed grocery shopping and was especially pleased when he could get the best deal in town. Al’s daily driving route included a trip to Government dock to check things out and collecting the mail and flyers, in addition to any tasks Ursula set out for him.
He was always there for his children, whether it was lessons on oil changes, snow machine check-ups, digging basements or any job that required operating heavy equipment.
Al was blessed with six grandchildren, Amber (Tom), Allison (Scott), Samantha, Ryan (Claudia), Chelsea and Kyle (Taylor), who will cherish the memories of their Papa for the rest of their lives. He would take them for 4-wheeler rides, teach them how to play crib and keep his candy drawer stocked in order to share with them the first chance he got. Al recently became a great grandfather to Zachary and being able to hold him for the first time brought him so much joy.
As the years passed and Al’s body succumbed to the years of wrenching, his health started to fail and he entered Princess Court in the spring of 2017. In August he lost Ursula and has now taken his journey to be reunited with her.
Dad/Papa, if memories bring us closer, then we are never far apart, for you are always in our thoughts and forever in our hearts.
A Memorial Funeral Service to celebrate Alphonse’s life will be held Tuesday, June 26th, 2108 at 2:00 p.m. in Our Saviour Lutheran Church with Pastor James Wood officiating. Interment of ashes will be held at a later date.
If friends desire donations may be made to Princess Court DECO or DRHC CT Scan Fund through the Stevens Funeral Homes P.O. Box 412, Dryden ON P8N 2Z1. Condolences may be posted at www.stevensfuneralhomes.ca.