Obituary of Stephen William Sudak

August 16, 1941 – Winnipeg, Manitoba

October 7, 2023 – Calgary, Alberta

It is with profound sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our loving father, husband, grandfather and friend, Stephen William Sudak, of Calgary, AB, on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the age of 82 years.

Steve was born in Winnipeg, MB, on August 16, 1941, to Victoria and Stephen Sudak.

In 1963, Steve joined the Royal Canadian Navy, serving in Churchill, Manitoba, and Alert, N.W.T.

On August 10^th, 1968, he married Nadia Jasenovec, and together they had 3 daughters. Steve worked for the Canadian Penitentiary Service in Manitoba from January 1966 until 1973 when he and Nadia purchased a small general store, aptly named, “S.W. Sudak,” in Rossendale, MB. They moved to Calgary, AB, in 1975 where he worked for the University of Calgary as a Campus Patrol Officer.

Steve then joined Customs and Excise as a Customs Inspector at the Calgary International Airport at the end of 1976 until he was promoted to Customs Superintendent in 1980, holding various postings as the Superintendent of the Air Cargo Commercial Office, Customs Mail Centre, and the Postal Accounts Unit, among others.

Steve accomplished much throughout his life and was particularly proud of his contribution to the United Nations Sanctions Assistance Mission in Macedonia in 1992. He was awarded a Peacekeeping Service Medal by the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, on January 20, 2003, for this mission.

He will be most remembered for his love of his wife Nadia, his children and grandchildren, his amazing, long-winded dad jokes, (“No dad, we are not naming our dog “Quat,” so when we call him, we have to yell, “Come, Quat!”), antiquing, garage saleing, his extreme affection for price comparisons (much to his daughters dismay, while on vacation, his idea of “fun” was hitting multiple grocery stores for hours to compare US prices to Canadian prices), the 1988 Olympic pin collecting craze (he designed a pin that now resides in the Glenbow Museum’s pin collection), his insatiable appetite for Chinese food (“Why can’t I make vegetables taste like this at home?”), the occasional treat of fried chicken, and Costco. He was smart, loved saving money and generous to a fault. If you mentioned something you needed, he would buy you 15 of them when he found them at a great price, usually brought to you in reusable green bags (if you know, you know).

Steven is pre-deceased by his loving wife Nadia and their dog, Zel (“Zelly Belly”), survived by his three daughters, Debbie (Victor), Lisa (Robin), and Tania; grandchildren Makayla, Hannah, Chelsea, Asher, and Levi; brother Robert (Pearl) Sudak, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, friends.

To honour Steve’s wishes, there will not be a service but a private celebration of life with his favorite foods.

We would like to thank EMS, the Foothills hospital ER nurses and doctors, and Unit 36. The compassion, amazing care and patience of the numerous nurses, doctors, nursing assistants, porters, neuro and geriatric teams, the haematology team and the various technicians is deeply appreciated.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Steve Sudak, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Deerfoot South, 12281 – 40th Street SE, Calgary, AB T2Z 4E6, Telephone: 403-203-0525.