Obituary of Peter "Peco" Paul Chorney

Peter ‘Peco' Paul Chorney was born on February 23, 1929 in Yorkton, SK to Thomas and Mary (Prystay) Chorney. He was the second oldest of five children. His well-known nick name was the result of his oldest brother, Harry, being unable to pronounce the Ukrainian Petro and calling him Pecko, which later became Peco. Peco attended Sacred Heart School and later St. Joseph's College. He was active in altar serving in his younger years and was a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Youth Club. Later, he was part of the Fr. Delaere Council of the Knights of Columbus and the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada. He continued to serve the church in many capacities throughout his life. He made beautiful rosaries from many materials as one sign of his enduring faith. One of dad's more recent creative talents was that of carving a lamb out of butter for the Easter basket, a marvel of beauty. As a young man, Peco moved to Wynyard to play hockey with the Monarchs, and began working with the CPR for two years as a brakeman. He decided to return home to Yorkton to look after his parents. In 1954, Peco gained employment with the Dairy Producers in Yorkton. He was a butter maker and printer, worked in the shipping department and then as a driver/salesman in the city of Yorkton. Peco remained at the creamery for 40 years. While he was a member of the Ukrainian Catholic Youth club, he met Grace Shordee. September 2, 1956, was a joyous occasion when Peco and Grace were united in marriage. As time went by, they were blessed with four sons: Timothy, Sidney, Gregory and Kevin. Peco and Grace's 40th Wedding Anniversary was highlighted by a cruise in the Caribbean with Tim, Linda and Riane. Supporting his sons was a joy and a priority for Peco. He encouraged them to be altar servers and helped them to prepare for masses. He was an executive leader with the Cubs when his sons were members. Peco was always at one or another's hockey game coaching or refereeing. He even coached some of the boys' friends' teams. When Peco attended night school to learn carpentry, electrical, bricklaying and auto body repair, he patiently passed on his skills to his sons. Most importantly, he stood as a strong Christian role model for his boys. A natural athlete, Peco enjoyed and excelled at sports of all types. His passion for hockey was obvious in the fact that he played for many teams from age 14 well into his retirement years. He played with the Moose Jaw Canucks, the Humboldt Indians, Kamloops Elks, Wynyard Monarchs, the Melville Millionaires, the Yorkton Millers and then the Yorkton Terriers. As a Terrier, Peco was a hometown favourite which many folks fondly remembered long after he had retired from the sport. Always a gentleman, he was known as the player with the longest stick. He also played for the Yorkton Old Timers when they represented Saskatchewan in Peterborough, ON. He was active with curling, baseball, horseshoes and archery. He was a casual golfer in retirement. When Peco retired in 1994, he received a wonderful gift of his first grand-daughter, Shayla, who was born just 13 minutes before he officially retired. The pride and joy of grandchildren followed with the birth of Riane in 1995 and Kurtis in 2001. He enjoyed many hobbies. His carpentry skills were put to use making furniture for his children and grandchildren. Peco also built and flew radio-controlled model airplanes. He coached the old timers hockey team. Peco formed a rec league hockey team called J.J.'s with Fr. Len Ratushniak as their goal tender, and Peco's son Greg was thrilled to play with him as well. Peco, along with Grace, enjoyed spending time with family and friends at their cabin at York Lake. Peco was well known for being a person who always put others first. He found joy in serving family, friends and the community and never had expectations of repayment. He and Grace were very busy in retirement, especially in volunteering with Home Care and various work within the church, such as decorating the church for Christmas and Easter. His service to the church and the community remains as a testimony of his humble generosity. Peco loved his family dearly and took great pride in their accomplishments. Caring for them and serving the church were always priorities. Peco was predeceased by his father, Thomas (1967) and his mother, Mary (2002), brother-in-law Percy Tupper (1974), sister-in-law Marlene (2001), sister-in-law Mae (2007), brother Steve (2013) and brother-in-law Jack Scopick (2016). Peco is survived by his wife Grace, sons Tim (Linda and daughter Riane) of Calgary, Sid (friend Lucy) of Winnipeg, Greg (Julie and son Kurtis) of Cold Lake and Kevin (Yayoi and daughter Shayla) of Vancouver, siblings Harry of Moses Lake, Washington State, Julie Tupper of Coldbrook, Nova Scotia, Pauline Scopick of Canora, brother-in-law Bill Shordee of New Westminster, B.C. and Aunt Helen Prystay of Langley B.C. and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Service Information Thursday, August 18th, 2016 7:30pm, St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church Details: Service Extra Info The Holy Rosary will precede at 7:00p.m. Friday, August 19th, 2016 10:00am, St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church Interment Details Yorkton City Cemetery