Obituary for Stephen Dajka
Dajka, Stephen
Strong, tolerant, gentle, supportive, caring. These are just a few words that describe the exemplary life
lived by our dear Dad, Stephen Dajka, who passed away on May 20th in his 90th year.
Although he was not afflicted with the COVID-19 virus, it certainly impacted the last months of his life.
Rather than have his family by his side, which was all he ever wanted, he was alone.
Dad was born in Lestock, Saskatchewan on August 29, 1930 to Peter and Eleonora, Hungarian immigrant
pioneer homesteaders. In 1935 the family moved to Port Colborne. Dad attended DeWitt Carter Public
School, then Port Colborne High where he designed the school crest that is still in use to this day. He
graduated from Queen’s University in 1956 and, in June of the same year, he married our beautiful
Mom, Alice Sherk. She predeceased him by less than a year - they will never spend an anniversary apart.
They moved to Fonthill in 1959 where they lived out their lives. He was also fortunate enough to have
his sister Emma (Szeman) move in and raise her family across the street, with whom he maintained a
very close relationship until her passing in November 2018.
He worked in Research at Inco for a period of time before entering the educational system which he was
passionate about. He started as principal of South Pelham School, moved to Port Robinson School and
ended his career at Welland High, where he was head of the mathematics department for many years.
He was a talented amateur/semi-professional photographer and worked on the school yearbook with
students for years, photographed many weddings and chronicled our childhoods, a gift which we now
realize we are very fortunate to have. He had a very disciplined lifestyle and became known around
town for his long early morning walks.
Dad was fiercely proud of his home and of us, his children, Bryan (Marina), Cathryn (Jim), Glen and
Stephen (Kristen) and his grandchildren Karley, Sydney, Jacob, Anandi and Lyndsay. He was loving and
giving and we are all so proud of him and his thoughtful ways.
Dad aged very gracefully, with a disciplined approach to remaining physically fit, healthy and young
looking. In his most recent years, his mind and body could not necessarily keep up with his will and
determination as he continuously strived to remain sharp and strong. He remarkably battled a series of
health issues along with the loss of our Mom and finally let go of a body that he would no longer have
been happy to live in.
Some may have referred to him as “frugal” in some ways, however that allowed Dad to be very
generous when it came to the steadfast support he extended to many charities, family and friends so
please, if you feel so inclined, make a donation to a charity of your choice in his name.
There will be a private, restricted ceremony and burial. A celebration of Dad’s life will be announced at a
later date.
Online condolences may be shared at www.pedlarfuneralhome.ca
Strong, tolerant, gentle, supportive, caring. These are just a few words that describe the exemplary life
lived by our dear Dad, Stephen Dajka, who passed away on May 20th in his 90th year.
Although he was not afflicted with the COVID-19 virus, it certainly impacted the last months of his life.
Rather than have his family by his side, which was all he ever wanted, he was alone.
Dad was born in Lestock, Saskatchewan on August 29, 1930 to Peter and Eleonora, Hungarian immigrant
pioneer homesteaders. In 1935 the family moved to Port Colborne. Dad attended DeWitt Carter Public
School, then Port Colborne High where he designed the school crest that is still in use to this day. He
graduated from Queen’s University in 1956 and, in June of the same year, he married our beautiful
Mom, Alice Sherk. She predeceased him by less than a year - they will never spend an anniversary apart.
They moved to Fonthill in 1959 where they lived out their lives. He was also fortunate enough to have
his sister Emma (Szeman) move in and raise her family across the street, with whom he maintained a
very close relationship until her passing in November 2018.
He worked in Research at Inco for a period of time before entering the educational system which he was
passionate about. He started as principal of South Pelham School, moved to Port Robinson School and
ended his career at Welland High, where he was head of the mathematics department for many years.
He was a talented amateur/semi-professional photographer and worked on the school yearbook with
students for years, photographed many weddings and chronicled our childhoods, a gift which we now
realize we are very fortunate to have. He had a very disciplined lifestyle and became known around
town for his long early morning walks.
Dad was fiercely proud of his home and of us, his children, Bryan (Marina), Cathryn (Jim), Glen and
Stephen (Kristen) and his grandchildren Karley, Sydney, Jacob, Anandi and Lyndsay. He was loving and
giving and we are all so proud of him and his thoughtful ways.
Dad aged very gracefully, with a disciplined approach to remaining physically fit, healthy and young
looking. In his most recent years, his mind and body could not necessarily keep up with his will and
determination as he continuously strived to remain sharp and strong. He remarkably battled a series of
health issues along with the loss of our Mom and finally let go of a body that he would no longer have
been happy to live in.
Some may have referred to him as “frugal” in some ways, however that allowed Dad to be very
generous when it came to the steadfast support he extended to many charities, family and friends so
please, if you feel so inclined, make a donation to a charity of your choice in his name.
There will be a private, restricted ceremony and burial. A celebration of Dad’s life will be announced at a
later date.
Online condolences may be shared at www.pedlarfuneralhome.ca