Obituary of Ronald "Ron" R. D. Hnatiuk

The family of Ron Hnatiuk of Swift Current beloved husband of Margaret Hnatiuk sadly announce his passing on Thursday, September 23, 2021. He was 74 years of age. Visitation for family & friends will be held on Friday, October 1, 7-8:00p.m. from the Chapel of Bailey Funeral Home, Melville. The Funeral Liturgy will be held on Saturday, October 2 at 11:00 a.m. from St. Georges Ukrainian Catholic Church with Very Rev. Father Leonid Malkov as Celebrant. The interment will take place in St.'s Peter & Paul Parish Cemetery in Fenwood. In lieu of flowers the family would encourage donations to be made to Nashi at www.nashi.ca In light of the recent spike of Covid-19 cases within Saskatchewan, the family urges those wishing to attend to kindly view the service online. Seating within St. Mary George's Ukrainian Catholic Church to be provided to immediate family only. Additional considerations are being made for those who wish to visit Melville, but watch the service online (next door at the hall). Masks and social distancing will be strictly enforced to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. Family and friends wishing to attend the funeral service virtually, may do so by clicking on the link below at 10:45p.m. https://www.facebook.com/pg/yourfamilylikeapartofours/videos Anyone wishing to provide a video tribute or video message about Ron may e-mail ronhnatiukmemorial@gmail.com for further information. Videos received by September 29, 2021 will be displayed either at the funeral venue or online. Ron was born on February 21, 1947, in Insinger, SK, delivered by his father, John Hnatiuk, during a terrible blizzard when medical help was unavailable. Ron grew up in various teacherages in Saskatchewan, including Wishart and Runnymeade. Skipping grades in school he attended Teacher's College at a young age, where he first learned his lifelong love of education. He taught at Punnichy, Saskatchewan, returning to the University of Saskatchewan to complete his Bachelor of Education degree two years later. In 1970, he began teaching in Swift Current, Saskatchewan with his then-new wife and soul mate, Margaret (Reinhardt). He continued his education completing his Bachelor of Arts and his Masters of Educational Administration. Ron had a stellar career as an educator, eventually becoming Principal at Ashley Park Elementary School, Vice-Principal of the Swift Current Comprehensive High School, and then Principal of the Comp for 8 years, retiring in 1998 after providing 30 years of educational service. His accolades included the SSBA Distinguished Administrator of the Year and the Canadian Association of Principals Distinguished Principal Awards. Ron was also active with the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF), becoming an STF Counsellor to help represent teachers and to sit on Boards of References, among other tasks. Fred Herron, at one time General Secretary of the STF, became a valuable mentor and good friend. Following his retirement, Ron was never idle; he worked for Crop Insurance, Elections Canada, and Elections Saskatchewan. He was also involved with the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists for which he received the President's Award in 2008 for Outstanding Service as a civilian Board member of the organization. Ron's love of people and learning continued throughout his life. He was part of the South West Archeological Society and treasured finding arrowheads and other archeological finds; he also connected with others through genealogical research, and took courses on photography, glass making, willow furniture making, among others. Ron developed a number of passions that continued well into his retirement, many of which showed his incredible patience and attention to detail. Ron fully restored a 1928 Ford Model A; he had never done anything like that before and, when he got the car running, he must've smiled for a week! Ron was never, ever bored and always had projects on the go; unfortunately, he was unable to complete his long-time pet project of building an accurate, scale model of the Bluenose. He spent many tedious hours working on it, but the time spent was always a great joy to him. Ron also broadened himself through travel. His journey took him to places like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Canadian East Coast, and Hawaii. In 1999, he and his father John traveled to Ukraine to stay in the Village of Beleluia, from which his Grandfather, Dymtro, emigrated; the three-week trip with was, by his account, a trip of a lifetime. Ron also enjoyed his time spent travelling with his immediately family - he and Marg travelled to Trinidad and Tobago, where he worked with another group of educators to help teachers transition from the English A-Level system to the North American model. He enjoyed a fishing trip with his son, Justin, in Sooke, B.C., and also travelled with his son Lee to Las Vegas and New Orleans. Ron was pre-deceased by his parents, John and Helen (Peciak) and his in-laws, Russell and Dorothy Reinhardt. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, his son Justin (Pam) and granddaughter Amelie, and Ron's youngest son Lee. He is further survived by his brothers Garfield (Johanna) and Ken (Dianne); Marg's siblings Herb (Allie) and Ann (Bob); his nieces and nephews: Mark, Erin, Christopher, Nathan, Dana, Kari, Trevor, Christine and Rob. Ron loved his family and friends dearly. He was a proud Ukrainian and enjoyed working with family to learn more about his family's history and culture. He was known for his (sometimes corny) sense of humour, his compassion, his generosity, his warmth, and his love of his devoted wife, Marg. In lieu of flowers, the family would encourage donations to be made to NASHI, an organization working with exploited women and girls in Ukraine who were rescued from human trafficking. NASHI established Maple Leaf House, a supportive home in Ukraine to provide education, protection, and care for 20 girls. NASHI also provides education to others worldwide about the atrocities of human trafficking. For more information, or to make a donation, see www.nashi.ca. Service Details. Visitation When: Friday, October 1st, 2021 7:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Bailey's Funeral Home - Melville Address: 101 Fifth Ave. W. MELVILLE, SK S0A 2P0 Service When: Saturday, October 2nd, 2021 11:00am Location: St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church Address: 3rd Ave. East MELVILLE, SK S0A 2P0 Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event Ongoing Online Event About this event In Loving Memory Of Ronald "Ron" Hnatiuk February 21, 1947 - September 23, 2021 Look inside to read what others have shared Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. View Tribute Book