Obituary of Linda Anne Cwiak

Following a hard fought and very brave 4 year battle with cancer, Linda Cwiak peacefully passed away in the early morning of Sunday, December 8, 2024 at St. Boniface Hospital.

Linda is survived by her husband and best friend of 48 years, Ron Cwiak; her daughter Melissa (Olli) Hyytiainen; her son David (Stacie) Cwiak; her grand-girls Pinja and Siiri; her grand-boys Parker and Owen; and her grand-dogs Layla and Izzy. Her grand-cat cares not to be mentioned.

She is also survived by her sisters Janet Krywokulsky and Eileen (Yvon) Gagnon; nieces Aline Gagnon, Pascale (Cory) Balaberda and their son Beauden, Gabrielle (Animesh) Tiwari; and nephew Eric (Jordan) Gagnon. She will be remembered by her friends, and extended family including Ron’s sister and brothers, their families, cousins, and many others that called her Auntie Linda.

Linda is predeceased by her parents John and Anne Krywokulsky, and her parents through marriage Walter and Anne Cwiak.

Linda was born in Winnipeg and raised on Beach Avenue in Elmwood. She was the first child of John, a new immigrant from Ukraine, and Anne, a small-town Saskatchewan farm woman also of Ukrainian descent. As a child, she loved taking the train back to Hubbard, Saskatchewan with her parents and sisters to visit her Baba and run wild on the farm with her cousins. 

Linda attended Elmwood High School, graduating in 1974. She briefly attended University, or at least the university parties. It was at one such party where she met her friend’s “Cousin Ronnie.” He didn't attend University either. Just the parties. After 3 months of dating, Ron proposed and they married in April 1977. Within the year, they bought a house in North Kildonan where they raised their family and have lived since. 

In 1982, Ron and Linda were expecting their first child. Ron was a welder and was laid off. Linda had also gotten laid off during her pregnancy. Out of necessity, Ron started doing some small welding repair jobs on his own. Work became steady enough that he needed to buy a rig and hire a helper. Ron and Linda went into business together, with him working the tools and her doing the books. What started as Cwiak Mobile Welding in the early days, became Arcweld Industries Inc. Together, they worked incredibly hard to build their business and provide a good life for their family. Ron and Linda’s home was also the office for the first 30 years. Ron would work all day. Linda would work all day dealing with the office, the house, the kids, and the meals. She would often do bookwork well past midnight as the house was quiet from distraction. Linda was the voice of Arcweld for most of its existence. She did it all while Ron worked in the field. She cared deeply for her employees and freely handed out mom-level advice. Eventually, Arcweld Industries moved to its current location on Day Street in Transcona. She would spend much time there working in the office and playing in her huge garden. 

Linda loved the family cabin in Belair. It was her happy place. It was where she cooked her best meals, hosted big Thanksgivings, and spent quality time with Ron, her kids, and her grand-kids. She dreamed of having a big beautiful kitchen where she would make cabbage rolls, Easter Paska, and anything else she wanted. We are so thankful that dream was realized, and that she was well enough to cook one more Thanksgiving Dinner there.

She firmly and steadfastly believed she would beat the Lymphoma and recover. She took us all to the brink and back a few times. The day she found out there was nothing more to be done, she cried that she was losing us and that we were all that she lived for in this world. It was the other way around Mom. We were about to lose you. 

Life is Life. Obituaries say “survived by” because that is exactly what those left behind need to do. They need to survive and keep on living.

A Celebration of Linda’s Life will be held on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at the Holy Eucharist Parish Centre located at 460 Munroe Avenue at 11 AM. Please join us as we gather together to share stories, reminisce, and support each other through this tough time.

During her Cancer journey, Linda received excellent care and endless compassion from the wonderful Doctors and Healthcare Professionals at CancerCare Manitoba. The last months of Linda’s life would not have been possible without the kind individuals who donated blood through Canadian Blood Services.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her name to CancerCare Manitoba, or the gift of life through Canadian Blood Services. Appointments to donate can be booked through blood.ca.