Obituary of Shirley Chetyrbok
The family of Shirley Chetyrbok of Yorkton, SK, sadly announces her passing on August 13, 2026. She was 79 years of age. She passed away at the Yorkton & District Nursing Home with her family by her side.
Shirley May Chetyrbok was born on March 10, 1947, in Canora, SK. She was the third child of John and Olga Lazaruk (née Yagelnitski). Shirley grew up on the family farm near Danbury, SK. She attended school in Danbury and later Sturgis. She shared fond memories of living on the family farm and told stories of how they used to travel by horse to visit neighbours and family regularly.
In 1967, she welcomed her first child, a baby boy, Kevin. In 1969, she welcomed another child, this time a girl, Wendy.
She later met Cy Chetyrbok, who she married on May 22, 1970. They began their life together in The Pas, MB, where Cy hauled logs for a logging company. While in The Pas, Shirley attended school to become a bookkeeper and began looking after the books for their trucking company. In 1973, they welcomed a baby girl, Tammy.
Shirley and Cy made many friends during their years in The Pas and loved spending time visiting and getting together with friends and family. In 1981, they left The Pas and embarked on a new adventure in Airdrie, AB. They spent three years in Alberta, making even more friends along the way, before returning to Saskatchewan and eventually settling in Yorkton.
In Yorkton, Shirley volunteered with Victim Services, a role she enjoyed as it allowed her to be involved in the community and help others. In 1996, Shirley began working at the Painted Hand Casino, where she continued to work until suffering a stroke in 2020. Through her years there, she formed many lifelong friendships and was loved by those who had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside her.
Family time was always important to Shirley, and she cherished the time spent with those closest to her, whether it was visiting, spending time at the beach, or heading out on a camping trip. Their travels took them throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. The journey was often just as much a part of the adventure as the destination, with stops along the way to take in tourist attractions and see new places. These trips left her family with many wonderful memories and stories to look back on.
If you knew Shirley, you were extremely blessed, for she had the biggest heart and loved fiercely. She had a way of making everyone in her presence feel welcome and cared for. She loved to joke, poke fun, and laugh, and her sense of humour was contagious. You could hardly spend time with Shirley without ending up in tears of laughter. Sometimes all it took was one of her outrageous comments, or even the particular way she would say “well what?” to have everyone laughing. Those who knew her can probably hear it now. Her warmth, humour, and larger-than-life personality will be sorely missed.
Being a Baba was one of the greatest joys of Shirley’s life. She will be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren, Tyson, Ryley, and Jensyn, and especially cherished by Paige and Riley, who shared a lifetime of memories with her as she was a constant presence throughout their lives. When they were young, there were countless sleepovers at Baba's house, afternoons spent playing together, and trips to the park or for ice cream. She was also one of their biggest supporters and could often be found in the stands watching a hockey game or cheering from the sidelines at a gymnastics competition. As Paige and Riley grew older, their relationship with Baba grew with them. She continued to be a constant presence in their lives, always there to support them, celebrate with them, laugh with them, and simply enjoy being together. They were incredibly fortunate to grow up with that love and will carry it, along with a lifetime of memories and laughter, with them always.
Shirley was predeceased by her parents, John and Olga Lazaruk; her parents-in-law, Mike and Mary Chetyrbok; her husband, Cy Chetyrbok; her brother, Orest Lazaruk; and her sister, Sonnia Lazaruk.
She is survived by her sister, Brenda MacDougall; her son, Kevin Lazaruk (Melody Burym) ; her daughter, Wendy Kennedy, and her children, Tyson, Ryley, and Jensyn; and her daughter, Tammy (Ron) Fedorowich, and their children, Paige and Riley.
Shirley’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Dr. Vanheerden for the excellent care he provided to Shirley over the years, as well as to the staff of Orkney House at the Yorkton and District Nursing Home for the kindness and compassion they showed her. We will always be grateful for everything you did for Shirley while she was in your care.
The Memorial Service was held on Saturday, August 22, 2026 from the Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre with Crystal Bailey officiating. Words of remembrance were given by Shirley's sister Brenda McDougall and her cousin Christine Chalupiak. The interment followed in the Trinity Columbarium, Yorkton Memorial Gardens with Shirley's grandchildren serving as urn bearers.
