Obituary of Mervin Matcyk
It is with great sadness that the family of Mervin Matcyk announce his passing on January 23, 2026.
Mervin "Billy" Matcyk was born May 8th, 1944, to Peter and Anne Matcyk (Blahut) of the Wroxton district. He grew up on the family farm alongside numerous siblings and attended Jarema school as a child. Being on the farm instilled the value of hard work, a love for animals (especially cats and horses) and a deep connection to the land, but as an adult he chose to pursue other ventures and left the farm to work for M & M water supplies.
He enjoyed socializing and as a result met his future wife, Mary Petryk, at the Dauphin Ukrainian Festival. Following a short courtship, they were married on July 1st, 1978, in a small Catholic church in her hometown of Cranberry Portage, MB. They went on to make their home in Yorkton, SK and had two children, a daughter Marella and a son Myron.
Mervin enjoyed being a dad and was a great role model, always encouraging his children to do well in school. He spent many hours at the kitchen table helping with homework. Furthermore, to show his children that education was important at any age, he went on to complete his GED and certification in Cabinetry and Woodworking through the Parkland College in Melville, SK. As a result, he became self-employed and did contract work for SIGN doing repairs, building lockers and cabinets and in his spare time enjoyed building and refinishing furniture. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to friends and family with home updates that required his special touch.
He enjoyed doing the typical Dad things like teaching his children how to ride a bike, play catch and learn to skate, always adding his quick wit or Dad joke to make light of scraped knees and elbows.
Throughout Mervin's life he continued to enjoy the outdoors and spent a lot of time visiting nearby family and friends. This gave his children a taste of farm life - whether it be separating milk, playing with kittens or picking eggs. He enjoyed teaching his children the survival skills he learned as a young boy when a grocery store wasn't always nearby. He spent many weekends picking morel mushrooms, numerous wild berries and hazelnuts with his family. He shared his knowledge of fishing with his children, with day trips to Lake of the Prairies, Togo bridge and Safrani beach. Deer hunting was also something he enjoyed and making homemade smoked sausage was a family tradition and often paired with his saskatoon or chokecherry wine.
His health issues eventually caused him to slow down, but it didn't keep him from having a very productive garden and numerous houseplants to keep his green thumb busy. He took great pride and was well known for his garden and yard, making sure that everything looked just the way he liked it. He was always willing to share the abundance of fresh produce with family and friends and worked tirelessly in the kitchen alongside his wife Mary, canning many jars of pickles, borscht and jam. BBQ celebrations were his specialty and his homemade waffles, cinnamon buns and deep fried perogies were also a treat when the kids would have friends sleepover.
Mervin's greatest joy was baking fresh bread for his grandchildren. They looked forward to every visit when they could take their own special loaf home, still warm from the oven. They loved sitting in Gido's lap to tell him a story, read a book or to watch tv with their eyes closed (enjoying a nap). When the grandkids got older, tinkering in the garage with Gido kept them occupied, but not always out of trouble!
In 2019, his health received another downfall, a cancer diagnosis that he struggled with the last few years. The gradual decline in health was hard on him, and he eventually lost his ability to enjoy gardening and baking. However, his children and grandchildren show pride in carrying on the vast knowledge he shared with them.
In time Mervin's health wouldn't allow him to live safely at home any longer and he became a resident of Orkney House in Anderson Village at the Yorkton and District Nursing home in July of 2023. It was a difficult transition for him, and he tried to make the best of his new surroundings. At times it was a comfort for him to visit and have meals with other familiar faces that were in the same predicament as himself.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him and is survived by his wife of 47 years Mary, his daughter Marella (Jason) Chopping of Dubuc, SK and their children Mason and Matthew, his son Myron (Sara) Matcyk of Ebenezer, SK, and their children Emme and Bennett, his brother Gerald Matcyk of Yorkon, SK, his sisters Jan (Bud) Fraser of Comox, BC, Angie (Ron) Skiba of Saskatoon, SK, and Judi Braid of Stony Mountain, MB and numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Peter and Anne Matcyk, mother-in-law Fanny Petryk, brothers Norman, Allan and Walter Matcyk, his sister Bernice Barabash, brothers-in-law Paul Barabash, Ray Braid and Mike Petryk and sister-in-law Anne Filuk.
VICHNAYA PAMYAT! - ETERNAL MEMORY!
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep,
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there.
I did not die.
By Mary Elizabeth Frye
