Baldwin Malec March 31, 1927 - Jan 20th, 2018 Baldwin Marian Malec passed away peacefully on January 20th, 2018 having lived a full and happy life. Although in his 91st year, he was not ready to be old. He was born in an era of 'the good old days' and 10 cent hotdogs, preferring flannel to velvet, and baseball cap to top hat, his farm values endured over the full span of his life.

He was predeceased by his wife Irene (Jaroslawsky) after 57 years of marriage, and his brother Paul and sister Emily (Hamilton). He leaves behind his children James (Margo), Dr. Carol (Dr. Ed Rendall) of Calgary, Tom (Sheila), and Karen Koehler of Saskatoon. He will be missed by his grandchildren Aaron, Collin, Eric, Kate, Dylan, Tina, Kevin, Aidan, and Kira. He also leaves behind his brother Elmer, sister-in-law’s Emily Malec, Margie Lafleur, his close friend Larry Lafleur and many students as well as musical friends across Canada and beyond.

He was born and grew up on the family farm near the village of Tarnopol Saskatchewan where the seeds of his character were sown: hard work ethic, perseverance, and honesty. The farm life nurtured his tri-part passions for education, music, and sport that lead all of his decision making and life pursuits. His love of learning carried him through a B.Ed., and a B.A. at the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in Chemistry and Mathematics. In 1955 he was invited to start a new Catholic High School in Prince Albert. St. Mary High School started with 55 boys and grew into the finest institution of learning in Saskatchewan under the great leadership today of principal Mark Phaneuf.

Baldwin was loved and admired for his integrity, sharp wit and humor, and he could entertain many. He exhibited a profound sense of fairness with others and had a special devotion to kindness and caring for the many thousands of students he guided over 37 years in the teaching profession. This was exemplified through Malecs Matchmaking service he provided leading up to St. Mary High School graduation. His goal was to spare any student the pain of attending the ceremonies without a date. Some of these matches went on to happy unions that later married and are together still. He never forgot his students' names and he never stopped feeling proud of them.

To everyone who knew him, he had what it took to be great across many endeavors of his interest, from sport to music, woodworking, education, and to his calling as an exemplary teacher. The grit and sportsmanship that he showed in baseball and hockey were reflected in every aspect of his life. He strove for excellence with discipline, practice, and humor. He was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the Holar All-Stars baseball team- "a bunch of farm boys were all we were" he said. Most recently dad was honored with a Canada 150 Award for teaching excellence at a ceremony he was unfortunately unable to attend.

Dads passion for music extended across his life and was especially meaningful over the 25 years he played Tenor Saxophone and Clarinet with the Cottonpickers dance band. They toured extensively across Canada, completed and sold 9 albums and were highlighted in a weekly Television Show, broadcast from Kelowna, BC to Thunderbay, Ontario. The group received numerous honors including; Legend and Legacy Award from the Saskatchewan Country Music Association, induction into the Saskatchewan Country Music Hall of Fame and the Prince Albert Arts Board Hall of Fame. The years playing music gave him some of the greatest memories of his life and he continued to play his beloved saxophone until his 90th birthday where new fans at the assisted living home gathered to listen and remember the glories of the good old days.

Dad enjoyed a good whiskey, taught his children to be adroit ear-wigglers and especially loved all things cowboy. Dad has lived a rich, full life. He leaves behind the enduring legacy of decency, an inimitable joy of life, and an irrepressible spirit. We will remember him for his exceptional kindness to all those he met, his ability to find a witticism to bring a laugh or smile, and the enduring love he showed to us.

We should like to offer our deepest gratitude to Dr. Stan Oleksinski who we believe extended dad's life by decades. Our heartfelt thanks to; Dr. Michel Jutras, Home Care nurses and caregivers at Warm 'n' Cozy Care Home especially Bri, Tammy, Happy and manager Safal for their gentle and respectful way in which they tended to Dad's final needs.

If you wish, memorial donations can be made to St. Mary High School (306-953-7544) for the Baldwin Malec Memorial Chemistry Award. For others, simply pay tribute to dad by reaching out, smile and compliment someone in your circle or be courageous and offer forgiveness for some past wrong another has done to you.

Funeral services will be held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, Feb 17th at 2:30 pm (1401-4th Ave West) followed by a reception at St. Mary High School across the street.
We welcome your favorite memories, photos or messages to family by email that can be sent to memoriesofbaldwin@gmail.com