Mr. Morris Lozinski, age 85 years, resident of Thunder Bay, passed away peacefully at Lakehead Manor with his loving family by his side on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Moe was born on August 27th, 1938, in Fort William to Anne and Peter Lozinski. He was very proud of his Ukrainian heritage and had very fond memories growing up as a “West Fort Uke”. Moe loved sharing stories of all his escapades, for he was a very adventurous and mischievous boy. As a teenager, he attended Selkirk High School where his adventures continued. He often told his daughters of his antics with friends and his football experiences.
Moe met the love of his life, Marilyn, in spring of 1961. Although he did not make a good first impression, he quickly won her heart, and they eloped in May of 1962. The two recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. Marilyn was quoted two years ago, saying she did not want to celebrate her 80th birthday, for she didn’t not feel that was much of an accomplishment. Instead, she wanted to celebrate 60 years of marriage with their immediate family, for maintaining a strong marriage required a lot of hard work and dedication. Moe and Marilyn are an inspiration to their family and when you watched them together you saw true love.
An employee of the City of Thunder Bay, Moe worked as an Operations Supervisor for 35 years, until his retirement in 1992. In his early years with the City, he continued his education at Confederation College, while working full-time and raising a young family. Moe was proud of the fact that during his 35 years of service he only had used 4 sick days.
Moe had many interests. As a young boy, he was involved with Ukrainian dance, played baseball and pitched fast ball for the Royal Edward Hotel Travellers. He also enjoyed golf and curling, where he made lifelong friends. Moe was proud of the fact that these were sports he could play with his grandchildren, later in life. He also spent many hours watching different sports and was a life-long Blue Jays and Argonaut’s fan.
Moe and Marilyn spent many of their retirement years wintering in Arizona and summering at the family camp on Island Lake. Moe was very proud of his family and took advantage of all the opportunities presented to get him involved. He coached his daughters in T-ball, eventually managing baseball teams for the girls and their boyfriends. Later, he announced football games for all five of his grandchildren. It brought him so much joy to cheer on Karrin and Leeanne during all of their sports. He was over the moon when his grandchildren came along, so he could sit on the sidelines again. Moe was known for yelling at the refs and often arguing the calls.
Moe was very proud of the fact that his son-in-law, Rob, was a police officer. This opened up other opportunities, as he was chair of the McKellar Neighborhood Policing Committee which supported Rob and his colleagues. When Rob was on the Emergency Task Unit and they were looking for volunteers to be criminals, Moe was very eager to step-up. He loved telling the story of hiding in the cabin and watching the team quickly perform their dynamic entry to arrest him. He beamed when one of his grandsons followed in his dad’s footsteps to continue the legacy in law enforcement. As many people reached out to the family after Moe’s passing, the one memory everyone shared was of running into him and hearing a story or an accomplishment of one or all of his grandchildren. You could not know Moe without knowing his family.
Moe was also a lover of the outdoors. He had the pleasure of enjoying many hunting and fishing trips with friends. His daughters remember him running from the log cabin down the hill to the dock every time his line moved yelling “I have a fish!” As his physical health declined and he could no longer participate in these activities, he looked forward to hearing about all of the hunting and fishing adventures of his grandchildren, their partners and friends. He often greeted them with “Where is my fish?”
Moe is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Marilyn Lozinski; children, Karrin (Rob Steudle), Leeanne (Brian White); grandchildren, Tannor Steudle (Lauren Bresele), Kellen Steudle (Lydia Sullivan), Brooklyn Steudle (Adam Danchuk), and Benton Lozinski (Tiana Gaudry); brother and sister-in-law, Glenn and Pat Williams; along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his sister, Amelia Kibiuk; and grandson, Declan Lozinski.
A Celebration of Life for family and friends will be held at 11:00am on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 in St. Michael’s and All Angels Anglican Church - 675 RED RIVER RD. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service, beginning at 10:00am.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Cancer Centre, Declan Lozinski Memorial Fund at Thunder Bay Minor Football Association, or the Charity of your Choice.