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Maurice Stefanuk
May 22, 1924 - January 12, 2016
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<div itemprop="description">Maurice Stefanuk was born and went to school in Drumheller in the heart of the Alberta Badlands. His parents John and Anna were immigrants from the Ukraine. <br /> <br />Upon graduating from high school at the age of 19, Maurice joined the Royal Canadian Navy. He served in the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II as an ASDIC (sonar) operator, in corvettes, which were anti-submarine warships with the primary task of escorting the vital ship convoys from Halifax to Britain. At one point Maurice contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized in Halifax. He was released from the hospital one day after his ship sailed to England. That warship was torpedoed by a German U Boat (a submarine) and only one sailor survived. Had Maurice been on board at his battle station below decks he would have perished. One day made all the difference. Altogether Maurice made 26 crossings of the Atlantic hunting U boats. <br /> <br />After the war Maurice worked on the Alberta oil rigs and later as an amateur palaeontologist played an important role at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. In this phase of his life Maurice could be best described as a dinosaur hunter. Among his finds were two Albertasaurus skeletons. The Albertasaurus was a smaller version of the better known Tyrannosaurus Rex. Until shortly before his death Maurice enjoyed making jewelry using ammonite he found in the Badlands. <br /> <br />In his eighties Maurice re-connected with his childhood sweetheart Jean, who was then a widow living in Trenton Ontario. Maurice sold his home in Drumheller and drove east with Jean. During this voyage they visited Sault Ste Marie twice having got mixed up in Sudbury and somehow driving back to the Sault. They were married in St Peter's Church in Trenton five years ago and three years ago moved to Viva Retirement Centre in Pickering. Maurice's increased medical needs necessitated his move to the Sunnybrook Veteran's Centre just before Christmas. He died at Sunnybrook Hospital of renal failure while receiving first class medical care delivered with kindness and compassion. <br /> <br />Peter Stefanuk was Maurice's younger brother by five years, he died at age 55 in1985. Peter was married to Vi (maiden name: Oystryk). They had three girls Joan Ferridge (oldest and lives in Kelowna) Kate (middle, married to Liam Fitzgerald, living in Vernon BC) and Sandra (youngest and married to Arden Knoll, living in West Kelowna). Joan has five boys (grand nephews of Uncle Maurice), Aaron, Craig, Brandon and Dillon Ferridge. Sandy has two boys, Brett and Taylor Knoll. <br /> <br />When Maurice married Jean he inherited a second family with three step children: Kathleen (of Stratford Ontario), John of Pickering Ontario, (married to Tracy with sons Liam and Brendan, and Maureen (of Trenton Ontario, with sons Johnny and Matthew). <br /> <br />Eternal rest grant unto Maurice, O Lord, <br />and let perpetual light shine upon him. <br />May he rest in peace. <br /> <br />And may the souls of all the faithful departed, <br />through the mercy of God, <br />rest in peace. <br />Amen.</div>