Frank Daniel Andrew Sylvester
Frank Sylvester, age 84, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2022, after a lengthy and courageous battle with Parkinson’s and Dementia. He was born in Winnipeg, MB, on July 12, 1937, the son of Frank and Grace (Kidd) Sylvester.
Frank is survived by his wife of 63 years, Gaetanne (Gauthier); children Brad (Linda) of Saskatoon, SK, Ken (Ann) of Ann Arbor, MI, Glenn (Tanya) of Burnaby, BC, and Anita (Evan) of Adelaide, South Australia; grandchildren, Megan (Matt), Shawn (Jocelyn), Sofia (Connor), Ella and Leona; great-grandchildren Cormac & Caoilinn; step grandson Huw, and sisters Geraldine Wickdahl and Darlene Delorme.
Frank cherished his roots. He was nurtured by a fiercely loyal extended family, as he grew up in North End Winnipeg. The bond was especially tight because two brothers (Frank and Fred Sylvester) had married two sisters (Grace and Anne Kidd). ‘Frankie’ as the younger Frank was known and his mother Grace lived with the extended family in his grandparents’ Daniel and Grace Kidd’s flat during World War II. In the postwar era, Frankie’s youth was a unique mix of people and places. His father struggled, and Frankie continued to lean on his extended family. At age 16 he moved in with his aunt Anne and uncle Fred. Frankie grew close with his first cousin Freddie. Frankie also gravitated towards organized sport, particularly hockey and football. He spoke fondly of his coaches and teammates, especially those on the Tec Voc (Winnipeg school division’s Technical Vocational High School) football team during his senior year in high school. Sports was an outlet for his athleticism and but also an arena where hard work was rewarded.
As a young man, Frank met his intended by chance. Out with some friends, walking on Portage Avenue, they met a group of young women from Saint Boniface and invited them into a café. One of Frank’s friends knew one of the women from work. Frank sat down next to Gaetanne. Visits to Gaetanne’s childhood home in St. Boniface were able to bridge the gap between English and French. Photos survive of Frank holding a broom stick and performing an Elvis impersonation to win over his future in-laws. It did not hurt that Frank’s favourite professional hockey team in his youth was the Montreal Canadiens (during an era when most English-speakers supported the Toronto Maple Leafs). Frank and Gaetanne were married on
February 8, 1958, in St Boniface.
Frank enjoyed a rewarding career in the meat and prepared food industry, progressing from an account representative at store level with Swift’s, Intercontinental Packers, and Burns Meats to sales executive and other leadership roles with Burns Foods and finally Maple Leaf Foods. He possessed an extraordinary work ethic, and was recognized for his leadership, honesty and integrity. His warmth and quick wit served him well during his career.
Frank was a creative person who loved business, not merely because of the competitive nature of commerce, but because of the energy he drew from working with others, designing sales strategies, and thinking about new products. He doodled and cartooned with pencil and ink to sketch out new brand identities and to express his humour. These creative energies were channeled into several startups late in his working life. He was a partner in a venture called Cool Cuisine Food Consultants between 1999 and 2002 that launched several prepared food products that anticipated the growing market for prepared meals. He consulted for a group of Manitoba beef growers between 2003 and 2006 known as Rancher’s Choice. And he chaired the board of Manitoba Food Processors at its inauguration until 1997. It has grown to be a successful organization.
During an era when corporate Canada routinely transferred promising future executives, the family moved throughout his career, living in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, and Kitchener. Not once but several times over in Winnipeg, Calgary and Kitchener. Three of four children would finish high school in Kitchener, one in Calgary, and all pursued higher education, and all launched successful careers that took them across the country and abroad. The four children knew the sign as adolescents and teenagers. Just as the basement was finished, the last wall or floor panel was installed, it was often time to move. In retrospect, many of these transfers were probably unnecessary to advance in business. Nevertheless, the experience made the parents and children unafraid to take risks and pursue their own paths, living and working in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Australia and across Canada.
Throughout his life, Frank remained an avid sports fan, and was especially loyal to the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Probably the only exception was the transfer of loyalty to the Winnipeg Jets when professional hockey returned to Winnipeg in 2011. Frank was able to attend a game on October 9, 2011, the first game of the returned franchise with tickets arranged by his eldest Brad, a thrill that Frank spoke of for years. This divided his loyalties somewhat but also offered the advantage of cheering for the franchise that was doing better in the regular season and advancing further in the playoffs. There were no divided loyalties when it came to the Blue Bombers. It led to a friendly rivalry with his son Brad. Following the annual Labour Day series between the Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Brad would phone from Saskatoon and just say “Riders”. Brad would get a call from Winnipeg if the outcomes were the reverse, hearing the first word: “Bombers”.
Frank also enjoyed the calm of getting away from the city to go fishing and hunting. It allowed him to renew his friendship with his cousins Freddie and Les Sylvester in midlife. Fishing was also a bond with his children and grandchildren. His daughter Anita remembers the time alone with her father very fondly, a welcome break from the male majority. For Frank, there was nothing better than a 5:00 am boat ride to that perfect fishing spot. Fishing was also a way to reconnect with his father late in life, who Frankie visited at the cottage on Lee River, MB. A cottage that Frankie took over when his father passed.
Frank and Gaetanne enjoyed traveling, especially to see their children and grandchildren in Saskatoon, Ann Arbor, and Vancouver. They had an opportunity to visit Glenn when he lived in Munich. They also travelled twice to Australia to visit with Anita and her husband Evan Patton in Adelaide and met his son Huw.
Frank faced several health challenges later in life. There was a heart attack in 1997 that was resolved with a stent and a slow recovery. The heart attack challenged Frank to pursue a healthier lifestyle. Frank and Gaetanne joined the Winnipeg REH-FIT Centre which specialized in cardiac recovery, and this introduced Frank to a new and very supportive community of friends, equally determined to exercise regularly. The community at REH-FIT helped him to control his diabetes and to lengthen his life, especially in his battle against Parkinson’s, which was diagnosed in 2008. The exercise delayed the full onset of Parkinson’s, somewhat, but did not fully prevent a buildup of plaque in his arteries which led to triple bypass heart surgery in 2014. Nevertheless, he remained active in recovering from a second heart surgery, continuing as a regular at REH-FIT during another recovery process.
During the onset of COVID, Frank’s Parkinson’s worsened, and he was moved to Golden Links Lodge in April of 2020. The Dementia associated with Parkinson’s progressed significantly, adding to the confusion of his isolation in full care. Nevertheless, there were still flashes of his trademark humour on Facetime and Zoom calls with his sister Dena, his children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren, all of which Gaetanne can attest, lifted his spirits in his final days. Frank’s willpower was evident, even after testing positive for COVID in November of 2020. Thankfully, as protocols allowed, sons Brad and Glenn, and granddaughters Megan and Leona, were able to visit in person in November 2021. Sister-in-law Monique has been a steadfast support to both Frank and Gaetanne during the last few years and as a designated visitor during Covid19 restrictions.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Golden Links Lodge who cared for him during his extended illness, especially during these difficult and isolating times. Cremation has taken place and a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Frank Daniel Andrew Sylvester Sunday January 16th 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Winnipeg, Province: Manitoba