Obituary of Richard Dutchak
It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that the loved ones of Richard Morris Dutchak announce his passing on August 26th, 2025 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan at the age of 85. His wife Kay and only son Bart were at his side as he departed this life after lengthy health struggles at Yorkton Regional Health Centre.
Richard was the first of five children born to Susan and Peter Dutchak, arriving on December 19th, 1939. Richard was a self-taught, hard-working man of many talents. Farming and then construction work filled his time and brought him joy and satisfaction. His first marriage to Dianne Pshyk brought five children into this world. The later season of his life saw him married to Kay Fransishyn. Together, they fulfilled their love of travel and adventure by taking many trips down to the United States, various places in Canada, and to Cuba for Bart and Ashley's wedding.
Richard was an avid consumer of information. While not fully schooled in the public school system, he would voraciously read books, magazines and encyclopedias, and became knowledgeable in many areas of history, geography, pop culture and so on. He was definitely the partner you wanted when playing Trivial Pursuit together. And if any opinions or information were presented that were novel or to the contrary, his thoughtful response was almost always “That could be.”
He loved music of all kinds and had the records, cassettes, and CDs to accompany that love. He was also a huge sports fan, enjoying watching everything from baseball to football to hockey. He was an avid Chicago Blackhawks fan and, much to his children's chagrin, a Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan instead of a bleed-green Roughriders fan. We don’t know that Kay ever enjoyed having control of the TV remote when any playoffs were on.
Richard is survived by and will be greatly missed by his loving wife, Kay Fransishyn; daughter, Denise (Darius) Bilokraly; daughter Cheryl (Steve) Kaye; daughter, Jacqueline (Simon) Rainsbury; son Bart (Ashley) Dutchak; and daughter Kirsten (Kelsey) Dutchak. He had four loving grandchildren: Ava, Josh, Cadence, and Cohen. He is also survived by his sister, Darlene (Kevin) Scott, brother Glen Dutchak, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, sister Mary Anne, and brother Ken.
The Funeral Service was held on Saturday, September 6, 2025 from Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre with Terry Greene, Certified Celebrant officiating. The interment followed in the Garden of St. Luke, Yorkton Memorial Gardens with Bart Dutchak, Steve Kaye, Simon Rainsbury, Darius Bilokraly, Kelsey Papero and Josh Rainsbury serving as casket bearers
Memorials in memory of Richard may be made to Close Cuts for Cancer or to Paws & Claws or to a charity of one's choice as gifts of remembrance.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Close Cuts for Cancer, Paws and Claws Rescue in Yorkton, or the charity of your choice.
