Rick Onuczko
It is with heavy hearts that the family of Rick Onuczko announce his unexpected passing on July 21, 2022 at the age of 70.
Rick will be sadly missed by his mother Olga Iwaszkiw; brothers David (Maria) and Wayne; niece Stacey (Scotty); nephews Christopher (Dagmar) and Gregory (Tracie); as well as his great niece Morley and great nephews Seth and Isaac. Rick was predeceased by his father Peter Onuczko.
Born on February 29th, 1952 in Westlock, Alberta, Rick spent his early years on the family farm in Tawatinaw, Alberta. Later in his childhood the family moved to Edmonton, where Rick continued to live until eventually moving to St. Albert.
Rick was a reliable, hard working, and dedicated employee at the Alberta Research Council for 36 years before his retirement in 2019.
Rick had a great love for sports that carried throughout his life. Along with his brothers, he played on recreational fastball teams for many years. During the winter, he enjoyed participating in the bowling league at Bonnie Doon Bowling Alley.
In his spare time, Rick enjoyed watching hockey and baseball, and followed his favourite teams closely. He was also an avid reader who always had a book on the go and the next one at the ready.
Even though Rick was known for refusing to smile for the camera, he always had a joke ready to make other people smile. His quick wit and sense of humour will be missed by all who knew him.
There will be no formal funeral service at this time, but if you wish, donations in memoriam can be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or to the charity of your choice.
I worked with Rick at ARC. He was one of the best! I loved teasing him about his birthday, I guess he really was only around 17 when he passed!
I enjoyed visiting with Rick at the warehouse when ever I would go over to help him out with computer issues. Really friendly and an all around nice guy. Can’t believe he wasn’t married.
I also knew Rick during his early employment with ARC in what was then called “stores”, before the warehouse was in existence. We had fun counting the “capital equipment”.
Rick was an awesome person to work with at ARC. Loved joking around with him.
So sorry to hear of Rick’s passing, my condolences to the family. Not only did I work with him at ARC for most of his career, I knew him from the around the fastball diamonds and bowling lanes. Like Lesley, I enjoyed teasing him about his leap year birthdays. We always enjoyed a laugh and story about something going on at work and he knew where everything was in that warehouse – great work ethic for sure, he was one of a kind and will be missed.
I knew Rick for about 12 years working at ARC and he truly had one of the best senses of humor, even if it was hard to tell from his face. I will always remember how he greeted my co-workers and I as we walked into the warehouse “Oh great, you guys again”.
Sorry for your loss. Rick was a great co-worker. Always willing to help. I enjoyed visiting with him. Rest easy.