Metro M. Fedruk

Fedruk, Metro "Mitch", age 88, September 28, 2018. Mitch was born in 1930 on the family farm in Sturgis, Saskatchewan, Canada to George and Frozina (Rosemary). He was one of the youngest of 13 children and is survived by his brother George (Alice), his sisters Elaine and Rose (Rudy), daughters Darlene, Gerry (Robbie), Aileen (Tygh), Christine (Steve), his son Mitchell "Lee" (Christine), his grandsons Justin, Brenden, Zachary, Jacob, Tristan, and his great grandson Liam. In his younger years he had many "jobs" and at each of them he learned skills that served him well all of his life. He often talked about working in a cabinet shop where he learned how to use the tools necessary to do his own work, and he was very proud of the fact that he remodeled 3 homes. When he was nearly 30 he went to nursing school and that became his career. He retired from Northville State Hospital in the mid 1990's. Throughout the 1950's and 1960's some of his siblings immigrated to the United States and he moved his small family to the Detroit area in 1965 to join them. Family was everything to him and it was a rare weekend when they didn't spend time together, tobogganing and fishing at the Metroparks, rotating dinner at one another's homes, playing cards and games, ice skating, bowling and putt-putt golfing, celebrating the many happy occasions you'd expect a large extended family would have, and even taking a helicopter ride with Lee on his 86th birthday trip to Nevada. Every summer the family station wagon would be loaded up for the trek back to Canada to visit and stay connected with family members and friends, even if it was just for a day or two with each of them. He was always there if you needed him... always proud of us... always ready with the video camera to capture the momentous occasions and the mundane. He has taught us all to be brave and never complain about what life hands down. Those lessons were manifest since his diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer 2 years ago when he was moved down to North Carolina to live with Gerry for treatment. It is due in large part to the care she and her family took of him that he was able to beat the odds and live a happy life in a place he came to call "home". He came full circle - living on a farm. He so enjoyed commenting on the crops he saw looking out of the car window as they drove the countryside and seeing the animals out in the fields. For someone who never wanted animals in the house, he sure did change his tune...from having conversations with the dog, to sharing his evening ice cream with the cat. He even adopted as his pet a baby goat that was brought into the house to raise when his mother abandoned it as a newborn, and he had to be told several times "get that goat off your lap on the new couch" - He was full of surprises! Above all else, he taught us loyalty to each other, and to do what you need to do to make sure each other is ok. We will all miss you, especially the waitresses in and around the Detroit area who had a daily dose of your quick wit and silly sayings. Believe it or not we'll even miss those hours long lectures on life. We Love You Dearly! Graveside service will take place Saturday, October 13, 1 p.m. at Oakview Cemetery in Royal Oak (1032 N. Main St). Please share a memory on the Tribute Wall (see tab above).

Metro M. Fedruk

February 22, 1930 - September 28, 2018