John KRUPENICH

KRUPP, John (Jan) Mikhailovich - 29 September 1921 - 16 July 2007 - Following a lengthy illness, an extraordinary man has left us to meet his Saviour and Lord. John passed away in the loving care of his family and spent his last few days in his beloved countryside in the idyllic Carp area. Indeed, the birds outside his window sang a last song for him during his passage. Predeceased by his beloved parents Maria and Mikhail Krupenich, he leaves to mourn his devoted wife of 54 years, Olga Dmitrievna (née Izhikova), his children Alex (Julie) of Stittsville, Leesa (Louis) of Sudbury, Masha (Brian) of Carp, Bill of Collingwood, Anne (Richie) of Sudbury, Laura (Paul) of Kanata, his grandchildren Larisa (James) of Peterborough, Jason (Inhee) of Seoul, Krysana (Curtis) of Sudbury, Michael of Stittsville, Allan and Catherine of Kanata, D'Arcy of Carp, Marjan of Sudbury, and his great-grandchildren Annaliisa, Alessia, Daniel, Kaija, Thomas and Illianna. Predeceased by his brothers Simeon and Corniliy, and by his sisters Anna, Olga, Sonya and Aksana. Survived by his brothers Iosif and Sergei of Russia. John's Herculean physical strength, which was legendary from his birth village of Lyusino in Belarus to the forests of Kapuskasing and the underground mines of Sudbury, masked a compassionate heart that never turned away anyone in need. His kindness to the poor and the dispossessed did not go unnoticed by his children and grandchildren, and he taught them from an early age what it meant to be a true Good Samaritan. He survived the travails and horrors of WW II and made his way to Canada in 1952, where he met and married the beautiful Olga Dmitrievna in Montreal in 1953, and they settled in Sudbury, Ontario, where John worked underground in the mines for INCO for more than 30 years. A devout Christian and a man of unwavering conviction, John was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, and despite his demanding physical job during his working life, John also served as a lay minister for the Russian Baptist Church in Sudbury for more than 30 years, and worked the family farm in Markstay, Ontario, teaching his children and grandchildren the intrinsic value of hard work, the beauty of nature and the importance of “living off the land”. Strangers and friends alike never forgot John's selfless kindness - prior to leaving Europe in 1952, he worked in the coal mines in Belgium and helped many desperate families come to Canada following the War, himself arriving with one American dollar in his pocket before heading to Northern Ontario to work as a lumberjack. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those who wish to honour this remarkable man may send a donation in his name to The Mission in Ottawa, or to The Samaritan's Centre in Sudbury. Visitation at the Pinecrest Visitation Centre, 2500 Baseline Road, from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday July 17th 2007. Funeral services will be held at the Parkdale Baptist Church, 474 Parkdale Avenue in Ottawa at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday July 18th 2007, with Dr. George Boltniew officiating. Internment to follow at Highland Park Cemetery, McGee Side Road in Carp. Special thanks to Katherine for her gentleness and sincere compassion in easing our father's passage and to Dr. Yelle for taking the time to make house calls despite his busy schedule. Thank you also to Diane for taking over in the kitchen during our time of need, and to Robert and Glen for all the walleye that my father was able to enjoy in the last years of his life. Sincere thanks to all the neighbours and friends who offered their help and support. Also thank you to Dr. Boltniew for taking the time to travel to Ottawa from New Jersey to minister to the family and officiate at the funeral. The world has lost a magnificent man but he bequeathed to his children and grandchildren indelible traces of his extraordinariness.