JOHN WRSKA

John Wrska of Stanwood passed away during the night Mon., Oct. 26 from circulatory complications at the age of 90.

He was born in Chicago in 1919.

He met his future bride living in the same apartment building near Wrigley Field.

During World War II he served as an engine room seaman with the Merchant Marines ranked lieutenant junior grade. He also worked on yachts and barges on Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. He went to night school to learn tool and die fabrication and spent the rest of his working career in that field. He loved gardening and used to bring carloads of vegetables from his garden to his co-workers. He was also very active in what used to be called the Prairie Club Canoe Club in the Chicago area. Some of the old neighbors still have memories of him banging out the right angle bend he put in an aluminum canoe wrapping it around a rock on the Wolf River in Wisconsin.

After a three-month trailer trip around the western half of the country he decided he wanted to retire in the Pacific Northwest. He busied himself in his later years doing lawn maintenance and tree removal well into his 80s. His daughter called him the “man with sticks,” as he always seemed to be wheelbarrowing off a towering load of broken up branches.

In his Stanwood neighborhood, he became noticed for his bright orange vest and hat as he, walked his black lab, in a matching outfit, down the road for a mile each way, daily.

His son, Dale Wrska, and his wife of 63 years, Betty, preceded John in death. His three beloved black labs Ben, Gigi and Sadie also preceded him. His daughter, Joann Wrska Medema, and his sonin law, Timothy Medema, survive him. As per John’s request there will be no service. Arrangements under the direction of Gilbertson Funeral Home.