Peacefully, with his family by his side on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008, Marain Kaczmar of Fort Frances, Ontario, passed away at the age of 59.
Marain was born Nov. 13, 1948, in Watenstedt, Germany. He moved to Canada with his parents when he was a baby. Marain lived in several places in Canada before his arrival in Fort Frances at the age of 10 and had lived in Fort Frances since then.
He graduated from Fort High and shortly after that at the age of 17, started working in the Fort Frances paper mill for 40-plus years until his retirement in 2006.
He married the love of his life, Linda Gosselin, on Oct. 17, 1970.
Marain was an active parish member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and a member of parish council. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.
After his retirement and shortly before he had become sick, he had taken an interest in curling and ice fishing. He always looked forward to playing card games with his family and friends.
Marain always put others before himself; he was a man of little words, so when he did say something, people would listen.
He and Linda served with the World Wide Marriage Encounter ministry teams for seven years until traveling started to interfere with family time. Marain’s wife and family were the most important thing to him. His grandchildren were the apples of his eye. Whenever they were around, Marain would light up like a Christmas tree.
He will always be remembered for his green thumb and his love of gardening. He will be especially remembered by many for sharing his garden harvest, especially the garlic seeds that he gave to many friends and family to help them get started with their own garlic crop. His garlic seeds have been spread and planted all over the Rainy River District and as far as eastern Ontario.
Marain always looked forward to a fishing trip with the family and very much enjoyed his time spent out on Rainy Lake. He also enjoyed relaxing by the fire while camping and when he and Linda weren’t camping he would make an evening fire, in the pit, in the back yard and they would sit and enjoy.
He was predeceased by one infant daughter, Tammy; his parents, George and Tina Kaczmar; his in-laws, Sinai and Valentine Gosselin; brother-in-law, Robert Jones; two nephews, Craig Jones and Ken MacKenzie; and niece, Janet Gosselin.
He will be forever be in the hearts and sorrowfully missed by his wife Linda and their three children — Michelle Kaczmar and significant other Norm Pike of Thunder Bay, Ontario, son Marin Kaczmar and his wife Julie, their children Mikayla and Keegan of Baudette, Minn., and daughter Kristina Parkkari and husband Miika, their children Anna and Hailey of Thunder Bay, Ontario; sisters Sofia (Ken) Godin, Mary (Robert) Taylor, all of Thunder Bay, Ontario, sister-in-law Denise (Dennis) Gratton, brother-in-law Maurice (Jean) Gosselin, sister-in-law Yvonne (John) Baron, all of International Falls, Minn., sister-in-law Rita (Harold) Schutrop of Minnetonka, Minn.; nieces and nephews, Lucy and John Keetch, Ken and Stacey Godin, Laura and Ed Maki, all of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Gerald and JoEll Jones, Allen Baron, and Sandy MacKenzie, all of International Falls, Minn., Roxanne and Randy Little of Littlefork, Minn., Vicky Jones and significant other Pat Brash of Wisconsin, Teresa and Brian Glatz of Andover, Minn., Becky Holenko of Duluth, Minn., Tim and Kim Schutrop of Zimmerman, Minn., Peggy and Paul Meillier of Minneapolis, Minn.; and many other great-nieces, -nephews and cousins too numerous to mention. He will also be missed by his devoted pet cats, Dusty and Dolly.
Family and friends were received from 1 to 2 p.m. today, Monday, Oct. 27, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Fort Frances, Ontario, for parish prayers, where a memorial mass was conducted at 2 p.m. with Fr. Frances Pudicherry, Celebrant.
Pallbearers were Dennis Gratton, Marin Kaczmar, Miika Parkkari and Paul Fraser. Honorary pallbearers were John Baron, Sam Harnett, Malcolm Douglas and Frank Ball.
Interment will take place at a later date.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Tamarack House or the St. Mary’s Memorial Fund, c/o Northridge Funeral Home, Box 89, Emo, ON P0W 1E0.
Online condolences may be left at www.northridgefuneralhome.com [1].
Northridge Funeral Home, Emo, was in charge of arrangements.