Obituary of Theodore Floyd ZUROWSKI

ZUROWSKI, Theodore Floyd August 29, 1933 – Southey, Saskatchewan February 25, 2016 – Calgary, Alberta Ted Zurowski passed away in Calgary on Thursday, February 25, 2016. His heart had grown weak in recent months, but it was full of love and life until the end. Born in Southey, Sask., on August 29, 1933, Ted was predeceased by his parents Jake and Ella (nee Vollhoffer) and brother Wayne. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Eileen (nee Stoffel); daughters Monica Zurowski (Terrence Spath) and Maureen DePatie; granddaughter Mackenzie DePatie and grandson Mason DePatie; and, numerous relatives and friends. His best memories, he recently recalled before passing, were the early years of marriage, when he and Eileen built a family; constructed their McCannel Street home, then on the edge of Regina; and helped create a community often centred around St. Peter’s Church. That happiness was only matched, Ted said, by watching Maureen’s two children grow. Ted and Eileen moved to Calgary in 1998 to be close to their daughters and grandchildren. He cherished his time and activities with them, ranging from croquet, barbecues, water balloon fights and zoo visits to band concerts, recitals, soccer games, tae kwon do and much more. Ted’s early life in small-town Saskatchewan always kept him grounded, instilling in him values he espoused: honesty, hard work, putting family first and always being considerate of others. As the son of a grain elevator operator, those early years were spent on the picturesque prairies in towns including Southey, Holdfast, Earl Grey and Dysart. An avid athlete, Ted filled his hours outside school with hockey, curling and baseball. After high school, Ted found his lifelong calling – teaching. He took a teacher training course in Moose Jaw, before being stationed at Parklands School near Dysart for one year, followed by two years at Valleybrook School near Southey. He continued his teaching career with the Regina Catholic Board at schools including St. Joseph, St. Peter, St. Mark, St. Anne and St. Gregory, the latter two of which he was principal. During the early years of teaching, Ted found time to further his education, earning two degrees with distinction – a BEd and a BA in history and phys ed. While a principal, Ted was instrumental in establishing outdoor education and team teaching programs. He believed education should be interesting and often incorporated jokes, puzzles and games into his lesson plans. He loved teaching. His impact on students and staff was significant, with students sometimes looking him up decades after he’d taught them. On the walls of his home office, there still hang plaques and notes of appreciation from students and their parents. Outside of teaching, Ted’s interests were many. His love of sports grew over the years (especially for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Flames), as did his encyclopedic-like knowledge of stats and scores. Ted added running, badminton and skiing into the repertoire of his own activities. Some of his favourite stories centred around downhill ski trips with friends; he was also proud of the fact that in one of his first years of retirement, he was able to cross-country ski 75 times in one season. Ted loved polkas, perogies, pets, camping, travel and road trips, collecting more than 800 souvenir pennants along the way. He was also interested in genealogy and worked for a decade to compile family tree booklets for both sides of his family, while putting dozens of relatives in touch with each other along the way. It was a busy life, an interesting life and one filled with his faith. He will be missed and loved always. A Funeral Mass celebrating Ted’s life will be held in Regina, SK, on Monday, March 7, at 1:00 p.m. at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church, 5020-7th Ave. Forward condolences through . In living memory of Ted Zurowski, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Fish Creek, 14441 BANNISTER ROAD S.E. Telephone: 403-256-9575.