Frank Hawelka has passed peacefully after a long illness at the age of 80. At his side was his wife of 55 years, Barbara. He will also be deeply missed by his daughters Heidi (Russ) Brown and Monica (Alan) Gurzinski; grandsons Matthew, Dominic, Nicholas, Liam, Gavin and Cameron; sister Rosie (Helmut) Mutz; sisters/brother in-law Lina (Harry) Ruscheinski, George (Mary) Schneider and Theresia (Tony) Schneider; cousins Peggy (Mike) Leeper and Wanda Mazur; many nieces and nephews, and many friends in Vancouver and Germany. Frank was predeceased by his parents, Anton and Katharina Hawelka, and his cousins Hermine (Jan) Mazur and Walter (Irmgard) Pitzal. Frank was born in Iglau, Czechoslovakia and grew up in Gosbach, West Germany with his Opa Korner, mother and sister. Life was hard, but Frank made the most of it and emigrated to Canada in 1959, where he met Barbara. For 40 years he worked for Listo Products as a tool & die maker, while raising his family. Frank was a great sportsman and outdoorsman, and never missed an opportunity to encourage his family to participate in outdoor activities. He loved camping in the provincial and national parks, and was an avid skier and soccer player for the Alpen Club and the Catholic Kolping Society, which he also supported as a volunteer for its charitable activities. He was a regular competitor at the Vancouver Sportabzeichen, and loved swimming in the ocean and lakes. He also enjoyed music, and was a member of the Lyra Men’s Choir. He valued education, and made sure his daughters and grandsons did, too. In retirement, Frank skied countless days with the Y2K Club at Grouse Mountain, and enjoyed frequent trips with Barbara to Puerto Vallarta, to Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Above all, Frank Hawelka was a good and decent man who by his example taught us the value of love of family, hard work, and living well. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Corpus Christi parish, 6350 Nanaimo St, on Tuesday, April 9 2019 at 10 am. Reception to follow. Burial will take place at 1:30 pm at Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer Society of BC.