Shirley Wowryk

It is with great sadness that we announce that Shirley Wanda Wowryk passed away peacefully on August 13, 2020. Shirley is survived by son Jason (Nicole) and grandchildren Kaitlyn and Tyler, son Dan, daughter Valerie (Shayne) Wareham and granddaughters Charlee and Madison, siblings Diane (Larry) Lukaschuk, Barb (Ren) Hallam, Ken (Ellen Maxwell) and Darlene (Garry Williamson).

Shirley was the oldest child of Mike and Florence Wowryk. She was born on May 18th, 1947 in Shoal Lake, MB where she grew up on the family farm in Kelloe. Shirley went to elementary and high school in Kelloe and Shoal Lake which included a short time in Saskatoon. After high school, she moved to Alberta where she spent time in Calgary and Fort McMurray. While in Alberta, Shirley was very successful working for various construction companies in an office administration role. In 1982, after the birth of her triplets, she moved back to the farm in Kelloe, Manitoba. Over the next 38 years, Shirley worked in a variety of positions taking her to Brandon, Selkirk, Shoal Lake, Rivers and finally back to Shoal Lake.  The majority of her time in Manitoba was spent working in Municipal Administration including roles at the Town/RM of Shoal Lake, Town of Rivers and RM of Rossburn.

Shirley had a passion for volunteering. She volunteered her time with Shoal Lake Minor Sports when her boys started playing minor hockey. In 1995 Shirley was awarded the Hazen C. Cassells Memorial Award in recognition of her unselfish contribution of time and energy for the betterment of sports in Shoal Lake. When her kids grew up, she continued to devote her time to the Yellowhead Region Minor Hockey Association. Shirley also volunteered with the Prairie Mountain Regional Museum for approximately the last 20 years. She will be missed by many organizations in and around Shoal Lake for her time and effort. 

Shirley had great love and pride for her children and grandchildren. In addition to her lifelong career and volunteering, she kept busy going to baseball games, hockey games, dance recitals and Christmas concerts. Shirley will certainly miss all of her family and friends, including her “Grumpy Gals”.  We miss you already, Mom.

A special thanks to the entire nursing team at the Hamiota Health Centre for taking care of Mom in her final days and always making sure she was comfortable during her stay.

As per Shirley’s wishes, a small private service will be held for close family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Prairie Mountain Regional Museum in Shirley’s memory or by donating blood through Canadian Blood Services.