FRANK JACK LADAN

On the afternoon of May 11, 2025, Frank passed away peacefully at the age of 90.

He was predeceased by his parents, Nick and Domka; and brothers, Paul and Bill. He is survived by his beloved wife of 68 years, Sylvia; children, Judi (Denis), Bruce, Christine (Gary); and grandson Michael. Frank was also uncle to dozens of nieces and nephews, all of whom he enjoyed seeing, wherever and whenever.

Frank grew up in Transcona. He was part of a loving family that influenced his strong, generous, and kind character. He attended Central School until grade 11, or thereabouts.

His first job at the age of 16 was at the Ashdown Warehouse. He also drove a truck with, and for, his friend and mentor Jake Hildebrand (Jake's Transfer). And he worked weekends at the Canadian Pacific Railway on the Portage la Prairie line.

Frank then worked at the Griffin Wheel foundry in Transcona shortly after it opened, and was active in the newly-formed union, concerned for fair practices and negotiating for overtime and shift work -- something that the union still battles over today.  

Friends from Griffin then persuaded Frank to apply at the Shell Refinery in St. Boniface, a place he loved working. Part of a talented maintenance crew, he made many friends and had an endless number of hilarious stories regarding the goings on at work. He was at Shell until the refinery closed in 1983, and then worked as a consultant and inspector for various oil companies until his retirement.

After retiring, to stay active and involved, Frank worked for Union Gospel Mission. He also did volunteer work with Sylvia for Hands of Hope, a local charity. He volunteered for the Pan Am Games, which led to a part time job with CBC News, monitoring the police broadcast every night, in case of breaking news. He was always excited to phone the evening news editor to verify the newsworthiness of an interesting police call.

Frank was always active and was happy spending hours cutting grass and shovelling snow. For years, he planted a garden in the backyard and grew all sorts of things, but he was most proud of the tomatoes that he called "prize-winners." He loved to be out in the sun, and enjoyed the hottest days of the year the most.

Frank grew up loving sports. He enjoyed golfing, curling, bowling. And he loved to swim.

He loved the Montreal Expos and always carried a radio around to listen to games while doing yardwork. Only after the Expos broke his heart by leaving Montreal, did he allow himself to become a Blue Jays fan.

He followed the Jets from their first season in the WHA, and watched nearly every game since the NHL's return in 2011.

And he was a lifelong fan of the Blue Bombers, often attending games at Osborne Stadium, Winnipeg Stadium, and the last time, with his kids and grandson at Investors Group Field.

Frank loved to fix things, often creatively modifying them to better suit their purpose. He amassed a collection of tools, hardware, miscellaneous parts and accessories that he knew would be useful one day. When something needed repairing, Dad would declare, "I've got one of those downstairs," and he knew exactly where to find it. He left behind an impressive, only slightly disorganized legacy in his work room ... and a secondary cache out in the garage.

He was a collector of many things, including hubcaps, license plates, nuts and bolts, shovels, extension cords, radios, and tax returns.

Frank had a well-honed, intelligent sense of humour, and loved to make people laugh. But what made him laugh the hardest was the slapstick of John Cleese, Peter Sellers, and The 3 Stooges. We will all miss his generous laugh and his classic zingers.

Dad loved animals. Over the years we made space for dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, pigeons, and other birds.  He had a knack for nursing concussed birds back to health after they flew into one of the windows.

Frank adored his grandson Michael. When he was young, Michael spent every Thursday with Nan and Papa, and many days were spent bike riding, watching sports, and playing out in the yard, often using crabapples for batting practice. They'd eat sunflower seeds and watch baseball on TV. They'd talk and laugh, and Papa spent time teaching by example. Michael remembers Papa was even there for Michael's first shave.

The love of Frank's life was his beloved wife, Sylvia. They met at a canteen at East End Community Club one Friday in 1955. Sylvia was invited to tag along all the way from the North End by a co-worker, who had a crush on Frank. But when Frank spotted Sylvia, he walked right over to her and said, "Hellooo, Canada." It was love at first dance. They were married on November 10, 1956 and were inseparable for 68 years. Sylvia was his girlfriend right to the end.

Frank had a remarkable memory for people, and seemed to know everybody, or knew someone connected. He had a genuine curiosity for everyone he met and loved conversation. His favourite starter was, "What's new?"

It was rare Saturday that he didn't recognize a name in the obits.  Most recently, it had been people he remembered from his youth in Transcona. Bruce would read off the names in the paper and at the end of the list say, "the good news is, you're not in here!" Dad would always laugh. Now it's finally his turn.

Family was most important to Frank. He led by example. He was a peacekeeper who was unfailingly kind. He loved having his family around and he loved to share a joke, a story, a thought. He'd often jump into a conversation in one of two ways: "The thing here is...", or "Hey, listen..." He didn't mind at all when we'd poke fun at his sayings and habits. It always made him laugh.

Although the last few years of Frank's life were a challenge, he faced them with courage and dignity, steadfastly maintaining his positive attitude, sense of humour, and love for his family. He was the same kind, loving, respectful person right to the end of his life.

We would like to thank the special palliative care nurses who visited Frank at home.

Also, thank you to the busy home care workers who came by to assist, especially Junior and Oliver - Dad enjoyed your visits and always felt great afterward.

Thank you to Dr. Keugle for his care and home visits.

Dad was a mensch, and will be missed by all who knew him.

Frank’s family kindly requests that all of his friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour his memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories, using the comment section on this page.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

1833 Portage Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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