November 9, 1938 – October 31, 2017
Joe passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Tuesday, October 31 ,2017 at Pinawa Hospital.
He was predeceased by his parents Anton and Bernece, his brothers Hillary and Johnny (in infancy), as well as half siblings Mary, Tina, Pauline, Steve, Paul, Olga, Peter, Ann, Mike and 2 sisters in childhood.
He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years Agnes, his children Dale, Linda (Ken) Hampshire, and Tim (Jackie). As well, he leaves his grandchildren Bradley (Jen), Tracy (Nathan), Darryl (Val), Sean, Steven, Loren (Jesse), and Brenna (Ed), great grandchildren Braden, Sawyer, Naomi and Ben. He leaves to mourn his siblings Helen, David, Audrey (Marcel), Norman (Joanne), and Brian as well as three sisters-in-law Barbara, Stella and Ann.
Joe was born in Pine Falls and raised in Thalberg and Brightstone. He often joked he was related to anyone who drove through Thalberg. Joe “Honey” met and married the love of his life, “Sugar”, in Pine Falls in 1959. The family moved to follow work and some of the places they lived were Lac du Bonnet, Maple Ridge, BC and back to Lac du Bonnet.
Joe was a very proud man and everything he accomplished throughout his life was done so with great passion. He embraced life and enriched the lives of all around him. He did this in his own humble way, either on a personal level or while hosting many large family gatherings.
Being quick witted, “slightly” opinionated, and coupled with his sense of always being right, his characteristics usually made for some really interesting conversations, particularly when he came across another family member who shared in the Smyrski “stubborn” trait.
Joe enjoyed spending time outdoors, whether it was wood cutting, snowmobiling, fishing, hunting, or camping it was always planned with as many family members as possible.
Joe had an extremely good work ethic, which he has instilled in his children and grandchildren. He was always there whenever you needed him to fix whatever was broken, help renovate a house, or even build a few new ones over the years.
Joe started his working career very early in life as a young man hauling pulpwood by horse and sleigh. Later on, he delivered milk, followed by a career in drywalling, and building construction. A back operation required him to change careers and he became the parts man at Relay Auto in Lac du Bonnet, until he retired in 2004.
After retirement, Joe and Agnes took on one more job together. They were the Campground hosts at the Otter Falls campground in the Whiteshell Provincial Park for two summers.
After being diagnosed with Mesothelioma in 2013, Joe’s outlook on life never changed, and he was able to make two more trips to BC to visit family.
A special thank you to Dr. Bruneau, the staff at Pinawa Hospital, his home care providers and Cancer Care in Pinawa.
A Celebration of Joe’s life will be held on Saturday, November 4 at 11:00 a.m. in the Lac du Bonnet Legion Hall, Lac du Bonnet, MB.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pinawa Community Cancer Program, c/o Pinawa Hospital, Box 220, Pinawa, MB R0E 1L0.
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Corene Antle
Dear Tracy – I am sorry to hear of your Grandpa’s passing. May you cherish the many loving memories you have of time spent with him. My sympathies to you all.
Take Care, Corene
Joe and Lill
So Sorry to hear about Joes’s passing. We were fortunate enough to be close to Joe and Agnes for many years. We also did a lot of visiting back and forth. Will never forget when they came over to our house in Delta and Agnes put the turkey in the oven and roasted it for over 12 hours cause the Joe’s were busy playing crib and forgot about the turkey.
Very thankful for our beautiful visit with them in May when they came out to Kelowna.
Our sympathy to the whole family.
James Lesosky
Our sympathies and prayers to all the family of Joe. You are all in our hearts and prayers.
The family members of Tommy Lesosky.