Obituary of Ludwig Joseph Zarowny

On Wednesday, August 21st, 2019 Ludwig Zarowny, loving husband and father of four, passed away at the age of 89. Ludwig was born on May 28th, 1930 at the Zarowny homestead farm near Poplar Bluff, Saskatchewan. Ludwig attended Evadale School, one mile south of the farm. He then was billeted in Pelly where he attended high school. While living on the family farm, Ludwig learned the value of a good day's work and how to have fun too. He worked the fields with horse drawn ploughs, fed and cared for the livestock, worked on the threshing and sheep shearing crew, witnessed the birth and death of just about every type of animal on a farm and became a very good carpenter - helping build the family barn. Ludwig enjoyed being a part of the 4H club, attending local dances, weddings, picnics, playing the accordion, cards and baseball. Ludwig and his older brother Carl travelled to Ontario to pick tobacco for a summer in their early twenties. They brought back a new truck and car - stopping in Winnipeg where Ludwig purchased an engagement ring for his future wife. On November 11, 1954 Ludwig married Olga Kotyk. We often teased them that they got married on Remembrance Day so that we would never forget their anniversary. They raised four children - Carole, Eileen, Joe and Rick. Ludwig was primarily a farmer but as many a farmer needed to do, he always looked for opportunities to bring in extra income. Ludwig was the foreman on the SaskPower team that brought electricity to the area, built various buildings for his neighbours and family, worked in the sawmill for his brother-in-law, drove a school bus, dried grain, custom seeded, swathed, combined and baled many a field. Ludwig moved the family to Moose Jaw in 1966 for six months where he went back to school to learn how to weld. He later took another course in Weyburn and got his pipeline welding certificate. This lead Ludwig to work up north in Tuktoyaktuk NWT for two winters. With his newly acquired skill in welding he then taught the course in Canora and later began to create, manufacture and repair various pieces of equipment in his shop. Ludwig was a man of precision and had an extremely steady hand. He could cut, weld and make anything out of steel. He continued to use his carpentry skills throughout his life - building the first house he and Olga lived in and subsequently built every structure on their own home quarter - including their second home, his prized shop and two garages. Ludwig also gave back to his community. He was a local councillor for a term, on the board of directors for the Senior's Housing Association, a valued member of the Lions Club for many years and a very entertaining bingo caller at the Senior's Drop-In Centre in Pelly. Ludwig and Olga travelled extensively often taking their kids and grandchildren with them. Starting with a trip to Brownsville Texas, then yearly excursions to Vegas with their relatives, various travels to BC and Alberta and Manitoba visiting friends and family - often taking different roads - just to see the country in their favorite vehicle the "van". And we can't forget - Ludwig enjoyed the casinos - they travelled to every one of them in Saskatchewan. In the winters on the farm, Ludwig loved to get teams together and curl in the various bonspiels in the area. He enjoyed the team spirit, laughter and competition. He was always a good sport and taught us how to win but also how to lose. He was a bit of a jokester and knew how to enjoy himself and others. He had this mischievous twinkle in his eye which he shared with many people especially his nieces and nephews. He could always get them laughing and smiling with his good natured teasing. Ludwig and Olga moved to Yorkton in 2009. They continued to help on the farm for a number of years. They always enjoyed visits from friends, relatives and their grandchildren, dining out and watching baseball - a Toronto Blue Jays fan to the end. Ludwig became an avid reader in the last ten years of his life. Going to the Yorkton Public Library was a weekly tradition, dropping off and getting new Westerns. All told he had read well over 2000 books. While Ludwig witnessed major changes in farming - starting with horse drawn ploughs to eventually driving 4 wheel drive tractors, one thing that Ludwig did not need was GPS. He took great pride in how straight he could work his fields. He especially loved swathing. A favorite pastime was driving down the gravel roads looking at the neighbor's fields not just to see how they were coming along but how straight they put them in or took them off. Ludwig was a good man, crazy about Olga and proud of his kids. He led his life with honesty and integrity. He was kind, generous with his time and always helpful to his family and neighbors. Ludwig though, was not without his demons or challenges. He drank till he turned 53 and then one day decided to stop and never had another drink for the rest of his life. He set an example to us that you could overcome addictions. At times he was stubborn and in part that is what kept him alive through several health issues - a serious e-coli/sepsis contamination, open heart surgery requiring 7 by-passes, bladder cancer and finally a minor stroke and fractured hip. Kind of like the energizer bunny, he just kept on going - until one day this August he decided that it was time for the end of his story. Ludwig was predeceased in death by his father Joseph, mother Carrie (Perepeluk), brothers Carl and Adolph (Violet) and sister Nellie. He is survived by his wife Olga, his four children: Carole, Eileen, Joe (Jenny), Rick (Rhonda), his brother Rudolph (Iris), sister-in-law Bessie. Nine grandchildren Chareena, Matthew, Joshua, Tyson, Colton, Kaden, Justine, Joey, Jorja, great granddaughter Loveda and many nieces and nephews. Service Details. Service When: Saturday, October 12th, 2019 11:00am Location: Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre Address: Highway #10 East YORKTON, SK Interment Location: Yorkton Memorial Gardens Address: Highway #10 East YORKTON, SK