Obituary of Norbert Halyk

Obituary for Norbert (Bert) Halyk
Norbert was born January 20, 1936, to Nellie & Barney Halyk, near the surrounding rural Townships of Buchanan, Sheho & Tuffnell, Saskatchewan. Each of these 3 Townships, along with several other rural communities of Saskatchewan shaped Bert’s childhood years. While Bert’s father taught at several rural one-room schools throughout Saskatchewan, alternatively his parents purchased & operated a number of local businesses in several of the communities where they resided within Saskatchewan. As a result of having lived in several small communities across the province, Bert LOVED Saskatchewan. Bert’s father taught him & his brother Silas (Si), during their earlier grade years of schooling. Bert spoke of having to walk 5 miles to, and returning 5 miles home each day to get to high school, where he could play on the hockey team as goalie. Bert had a love for art, so when he continued his education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, he chose Fine Arts as his major. To supplement his income Bert worked summer jobs as a driver trainer instructor & patrol officer for the Highway Patrol Board in Regina. He graduated with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in 1959, continuing on to complete his Bachelor’s of Social Work degree the following year. In 1964 Bert joined the Saskatoon Public School Board as the first school social worker hired by a school system in Saskatchewan. Encouraged by the Superintendent to get his Master’s of Social Work Degree, Bert returned to the University of Manitoba in1965, graduating the following year with a Master’s of Social Work. He was an exceptional school social worker. In honour of his work & service at both provincial & national levels, in 1984, he was given “Distinguished Social Worker of the Year” Award by the Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers. Having traveled throughout Saskatchewan in his growing years, Bert loved the adventures he had experienced, like camping, fishing, hunting, boating, and picking various types mushrooms. Traveling the many back roads of dirt or mud, sometimes gravel, brought on smiles of delight & pride in his driving skills. He explored farther north for camping & fishing to Little Deer Lake and Campbell River. Which led to Bert & Si to buy a log cabin at Wilde Island on Lac LaRonge; a place that became his personal haven. Bert was able to overcome his fear of flying and venture further to go on several fly-in fishing trips to Yellowaga, SK & deep sea fishing in B.C. He flew to Hawaii several times for relaxation; where he would explore, driving around the 4 accessible Hawaiian Islands. He traveled to all the provinces of Canada, particularly enjoying touring the scenery, collecting logo caps, & sampling the beer in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He drove across most of the United States to attend family gatherings & visit long lost relatives; stoping often to see landmarks, like the Ozarks or to drive the Lewis & Clark Trail. He drove to Yukon and Inuvik to see the Midnight Sun. And so it is; by the time his health became a disability, Bert had rewarded himself with many joyful experiences. He had spent 85 years living a full and beautiful life, and had found peace within himself at the time of his passing on December 4, 2021. Bert is survived by his wife of 40 years, Velmarie; his daughter, Jill & her husband, Roberto, their children, Victoria Marie & Alexander Robert; his brother, Silas & wife Catherine Knox; sister-in-law Glenda, their 4 children & their families: Judy (Harm) Griffin, Jennifer, Ricki; Randy (Audrey) Benjamin, Nicholas, Asya (Stacy) and family; Trevor (Gail) Tia, Kyle (Erica); Ivan (Purl) and family; an aunt Mary Halyk; and a host of cousins. He was predeceased by his older sister, Augusta; mother, Nellie; and father, Barney. Bert enjoyed all the families that were apart of his life, from Si’s family, to his own family, to Velmarie’s family, and most recently his daughter, Jill’s new family. Bert’s love of his friends is worth special mention: Joe Hnatiuk, David Novak, Grant Matheson, Don McCallum, Ron Buffie, Bryon Spence, Faulds Spinney, and many more.
Be at peace and fly free with the birds dear Bert. Your love, memories, and legacy will forever be with us.