Obituary of Ben Kluk

<p>It is with much love that we celebrate the life of Ben Kluk, who passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and family on Saturday September 3rd, 2022 at the age of 90 years.<br />Arslie Benjamin (Benny) Kluk was born to Harry Kluk and Lena (Kurylowich) on January 16, 1932, at his family&#39;s homestead near Benito, Manitoba. He was the fifth of eight children.&nbsp; From an early age, Ben helped out around on the family farm. Ben graduated from Benito High School at the age of 17. In the winters following his graduation, he was employed at the local lumber camps, and when Spring approached, he&#39;d return to Benito to contribute on the farm. In 1954, Ben left Manitoba and gained employment on the railway in Barrier, BC. That spring, Ben once again returned to his roots on the farm. In December of 1956, Ben moved to Yorkton where he began his career with Swift Canadian Company. Growing up Benny and his family attended many church functions in Arran, Saskatchewan, it was there, in his early teens, that he met his future wife, Violet Sikora. Together they attended ball games, church picnics, and dances which were the entertainment of the day. Benny and Violet were married in Arran, on July 27, 1957. Soon after being married, they made their home in Yorkton and began raising their five children, the community in which they all still reside, to this day.&nbsp; Ben found the perfect partner in Vi, she loved to cook, and he loved to eat mostly everything she made, even if he did not like it, he ate it anyways- that is a testament to his character, he was never one to complain. Benny&#39;s pride and joy were always his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He spent as much time as he could entertaining, playing with, and teasing all of them, and in turn, everyone always looked forward to their visits to Baba and Papa&#39;s house for holidays and special occasions. Benny valued family and remained close to his extended family for his whole life. Benny&#39;s legacy will forever carry on in his family&#39;s future generations, as his love of family has been instilled in all of them, and they continue to have strong family ties to this day. Always a hard worker, Benny became a Registered Meat Cutter, and on days off from Swifts he worked at OK Economy.&nbsp; After 32 years, Swifts closed and Ben began working at Harvest Meats. He fondly remembered his time there as the best working years of his life. Ben always held high regard for Ken Propp, the culture of Harvest meats, and the co-workers he had there.&nbsp; Ben retired at the age of 65, which allowed him and Violet the opportunity to travel to many destinations, including Hawaii and the Maritimes. Ben had a special passion for sports: baseball, hockey, curling, basketball, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders were his television entertainment. Ben and Vi spent their summers planting and maintaining their huge garden, then canning, pickling, and distributing their produce to all their children every fall. Their yard was a point of pride, even winning an award for best front yard in Yorkton, a special recognition of their efforts.<br />Ben&#39;s faith was very important to him. He and Vi would often be seen at St. Mary&#39;s Ukrainian Catholic Church in the 3rd pew on the right-hand side on Saturday evenings and every religious celebration. Ben also belonged to the Knights of Columbus and the brotherhood on which he served as president and worked on many committees. Ben volunteered for many years in Yorkton by delivering meals on wheels to those in need.<br />Their home was very busy with four sons interested in trapping, hunting, and fishing! Ben also coached minor league baseball when the boys were growing up and for several years, he was the timekeeper for the Yorkton Terriers where he was known to always have candies for the players that landed in the penalty box. Although his boys kept him busy with sports and other activities, Ben always had a special place in his heart for his daughter, Brenda.&nbsp; The biggest challenge Ben faced was his rare health condition. The tremors he had progressively affected his mobility as he aged. Several years ago, Ben was asked to partake in a study conducted by Neurologist Dr. Ali Rajput, from Saskatoon, who took up the challenge, and is conducting research in hopes of learning more about Ben and his family&#39;s rare disease. Benny was passionate to further Dr. Rajput&#39;s knowledge in hopes to advance treatment for those with the condition. Benny was a kind, gentle person and always eager to help those he could. His family will forever be grateful that he retained his tenderness and his witty humour until his passing. Benny will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved him. Memorial donations may be made to Dr. Ali Rajput Endowment for Parkinson&#39;s Disease and Movement Disorder Research, in Ben&#39;s memory.&nbsp;&nbsp; Benny was predeceased by his parents Harry and Lena, sisters and brother in laws, Mary &amp; Nick Malayney, Victoria &amp; John Hunko, Patricia &amp; Morris Dick, Elsie Myzak, George Skrepnek, Mike Genik, and in childhood Rose Marie Kluk.&nbsp; He is survived by his loving wife of 65 years Violet, daughter Brenda (Barry) Marianchuk, David (Gail) Kluk, Don Kluk, James (Naomi) Kluk and Kevin (Shelley) Kluk as well as, his sisters, Julie Skrepnek and Theresa Genik and brother Mursel (Marge) Kluke. His grandchildren, Brett (Amanda) Marianchuk, Braden (Jolean) Marianchuk, Scott Marianchuk (Meghan), Nikki Kluk, Dana (Curtis) Rhinas, Jane Kluk, Kristen Kluk (Kyle) and Danika Kluk. Also, his great grandchildren, Amelia Marianchuk, Leo Marianchuk, and Rhett Rhinas. Prayers were held on Thursday evening, Sept. 8th from St. Mary&#39;s Ukrainian Cthloic Church. The Funeral Liturgy was held on Friday, September 9th 2022 from St. Mary&#39;s Church with Fr. Leonid Malkov officiating. Crossbearer was Nikki Kluk, Epistle-reader was Jane Kluk. The Knights of Columbus &amp; Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood formed an honour guard. The interment took place in the Yorkton Memorial Gardens with David, Don, James and Kevin Kluk, Barry &amp; Brett Marianchuk serving as the casketbearers. Memorials may be made to the Dr. Rajput Endowment Fund c/o R.U.H. 103 Hospital Dr. Saskatoon, SK&nbsp; S7N 0W8.</p><p>&nbsp;<p><br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--></p></p>