Nestor Slonowsky

After 87 years of life well lived, Nestor Slonowsky passed away on February 1, 2026 with us, his loving family, by his side.

Born on January 14, 1939 in a two-room log cabin in Garland, Manitoba, Nestor arrived in this world with survival and determination embedded in his DNA. He was child number 5 of what would be 8 children born to his Ukrainian-immigrant parents.

Nestor’s life was defined by hard work, independence, a deep love for family and a desire to assist community and those in need, traits forged in his youth when Nestor, his siblings and his parents worked to survive on the family farm. Frigid winters were spent cutting pulp and firewood while summers were spent putting up hay for livestock and working the fields. The family home, a humble 240 square foot log cabin with a wood-burning stove for heating and cooking and with water drawn from the nearby river, was no site of luxury. The tragic loss of his oldest brother, Walter, in 1955 and his father’s failing health added to the family’s struggles. Nestor was a dedicated student with dreams of attending university, but his education was cut short so he could assist his family. Because of this unfulfilled dream, he encouraged his children to pursue a higher education, pointing out his own Ph.D., in Post-Hole Digging, was fairly limiting.

In 1959, at the age of 20, Nestor followed in the footsteps of his older brothers and left home to find his fortunes in underground mining, a career that spanned over a decade in nickel mines throughout Ontario and northern Manitoba. During downtime between shifts, Nestor became a skilled amateur hockey player. In 1963, while working at the Willroy Mine in Manitouwadge, Nestor caught the eye of a lovely young lady, Lorraine Francoeur, when attending a dance after a hockey tournament. Nestor and Lorraine were married in 1965 after which followed more than 60 years of love, devotion and adventure. They welcomed their daughter, Deborah, in Sudbury in 1967 and their son, Dean, in Winnipeg in 1970.

With a dream to one day operate a cattle ranch with his wife and children, Nestor and Lorraine purchased the family farm in Garland in 1971. At its peak, the ranch spanned nearly 5,000 acres (rented and owned) with almost 200 head of beef cattle. Nestor had a particular love of horses and kept a pair of draft horses for barnyard chores as well as riding horses. The family home regularly sheltered newborn farm animals and wild creatures in need of help. Although his children did pursue formal education, farm life provided the most useful lessons. There was nothing Nestor couldn’t fix with a scrap of metal or length of baler twine. As children, we learned to repair all manner of items, grow plants and crops and care for animals. We also acquired extraordinary knowledge of colourful expletives, in English and Ukrainian. These special language lessons were often delivered after a repair had failed or a cow escaped an enclosure.

Nestor had a wonderful sense of humour and enjoyed visiting, story-telling and laughing with neighbours, friends and family. He also enjoyed playing cards and board games. As a young family, we’d play games for prizes and, in retirement, Nestor and Lorraine would play cribbage with the agreement: loser washes the dishes. Nestor was a voracious reader. He’d read all manner of biographies and history books and could remember obscure facts, dates and names with uncanny accuracy. He was a fan of classic country and fiddle music. On the farm and in the houses he later renovated, a radio was playing music night and day.

Never forgetting his upbringing and the importance of community, Nestor threw his hat into the ring of municipal leadership in 1977 and was first elected as ward 4 councillor then reeve for the R.M. of Ethelbert. He played a central role in organizing the 1985 Garland Homecoming, three celebratory days

of reunions and reminiscing and, with the assistance of his wife and a group of Garland community members, Nestor channeled his love of storytelling and deep respect for those who came before into a local history book, “In Memory of our Pioneers: a History of Garland and District.” Nestor felt an immense sense of pride and purpose in this project. His goal was to preserve the memories and contributions of pioneers from his parents’ generation. Years later, he found comfort looking at the many photographs within this book, helping him recall the past.

After over 30 years on the farm, Nestor and Lorraine relocated to Dauphin where they enjoyed 22 years of non-retirement, growing massive gardens, volunteering at the Dauphin Personal Care Home and buying and renovating homes. Nestor took great pride in learning new renovating skills and even dabbled with YouTube D.I.Y. videos, despite a deep-seated distrust of all things computer-based. Between their many projects, Nestor and Lorraine made time to visit their grandchildren in B.C., visits that will be forever cherished. When the grandkids travelled to Dauphin, Nestor provided advice on gardening and treated them to oodles of fresh vegetables and berries. His greatest joy in later life was his grandkids.

With a diagnosis and progression of dementia, Nestor became more limited in his activities but never stopped moving and working. There were leaves to rake, spruce cones to remove from the lawn and snow to shovel. Thanks to the unwavering support of his wife, Lorraine, who became the household manager, Nestor celebrated his 85th birthday at home and was able to remain active with yardwork right up until his move to long term care. In August 2024, Nestor made one last move to Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg. Here, with the compassionate and excellent care of Tower 7 memory care staff, Nestor could continue living life on his own terms.

Nestor’s strength and never-give-up attitude, both before and during his illness, are an inspiration to his family. We’re forever thankful for the lessons he provided and the people he helped us become.

Nestor was predeceased by his oldest brother, Walter (1955), his father, Victor (1966), his mother, Helen (2004), his younger brothers, August (2020) and Paul (2022), and his older brother, Orest (2025).

Nestor is survived by his wife, Lorraine, of Winnipeg, his daughter, Deborah (Ferris) of Winnipeg, son, Dean (Deanna) of Victoria, BC, and grandchildren Kalen and Ida. He is also survived by his siblings: Carl of St. Paul, Alberta, Victoria Horbas of Winnipeg and Susan Pachkowski of Kitchener, BC as well as numerous nieces and nephews who all have fond memories of Uncle Nestor.

Cremation has taken place. A graveside service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., May 9, 2026 at Fort Garry Cemetery with a celebration of life to follow at 1960 St. Mary’s Road. As Dad would often tell us, “Don’t cry for me when I’m gone. Finally, my work will be done.”

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Nestor's memory to the Deer Lodge Centre Foundation. 

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