FRED KOZIK

Fred Kozik, of Fort Frances, Ont., passed away Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012 at the age of 79.
He was born Nov. 28, 1932 in Fort Frances to the late Harry and Mary Kozik.
Upon graduating from the FFHS at the age of 16, Fred began his working career, working in the banking industry in both Atikokan, Ont. and Fort Frances.
He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Cold War and became a fighter pilot (F-86s). He was promoted to a First Class Officer and Squadron Leader.
In Europe, he was stationed and flew in England, Germany, Luxenburg, Belgium, and France, as well in Morocco, Africa.
Upon leaving the RCAF, Fred returned to Fort Frances and did bush flying for many years. In addition to flying tourists to remote areas in Northwestern Ontario, he also flew in Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, where he worked for various agencies such as the Hudson Bay Co., Medical Services, Indian Affairs, and the Department of Fisheries.
If you got Fred going, he could tell you many interesting stories about his experiences working in the north and its people.
Fred owned an operated Jimlin’s Bait and Tackle while continuing to fly. During “off seasons,” he worked in the bush, logging with the Huitikkas. And he’d often remark how far logging had come since he was a young lad and cut wood with his pals like Jerry Arason and Bung Haugo in the “old days.”
He rounded out his many years of aviation by chemical firebombing with WWII B-26s in Alberta and the Yukon for air spray.
Lastly, before officially retiring, he worked construction on the Trans-Canada Pipeline in Northwestern Ontario.
Fred had many interests and hobbies, such as making fishing tackle and refinishing furniture. He voraciously read anything and everything to do with history, politics, and current events.
And of course, as any true Canadian northerner, he loved fishing and hunting.
He was predeceased by his wife, Patricia Ann Shelbourne, in 1958; brothers, Nick and Pete; sister-in-law, Eva Love; and step-daughter, Janice Fagerdahl-Haglund.
Fred is survived by his daughter, Linda; son, James “Sam”; sister-in-law, Rita (Eddie) and their family in Stamford Lincolnshire, England; step-daughter, Betty-Lou (Mike) Hambrock; as well as numerous nieces and nephews in Canada and the U.S.
At Fred’s request, there will no funeral service.
In memoriam donations may be made to the Fort Frances Public Library or Second Chance Pet Network, P.O. Box 343, Dryden, Ont. P8N 2Z1 or c/o Green Funeral Home, P.O. Box 427, Fort Frances, Ont., P9A 3M8.
Online condolences may offered at www.greenfuneralhomefortfrances.com