Educator, physician and surgeon.
Born in Poland in 1893, he came to Canada as a child and attended public schools in Winnipeg. After graduating from the Central Normal School, he taught school in southeastern Saskatchewan and at varous places in Manitoba, including at Plum Ridge School (1915-1916). His last position was a Principalship of Donald School (1916-1918).
He enrolled in the McGill University Medical School and graduated in 1926, then did postgraduate medical work at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago before establishing a private practice in north Winnipeg. Ill health forced him to retire in 1962 but he continued doing consulting work until 1978. During his medical career, he served on the surgical staff of St. Joseph's Hospital and was its chief of surgery. He was also on the staff of the Victoria Hospital, Winnipeg General Hospital, Misericordia Hospital, and St. Boniface Hospital. He served on the Board of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba and was a member of the Manitoba Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association. He received honorary life memberships in the latter two organizations.
On 16 September 1926, he married Katherine Suffka (1899-1975) at Winnipeg. They had three daughters. The family lived at 359 Selkirk Avenue from 1941 into the 1970s. He was a medical advisor to the Holy Ghost Fraternal Aid Society and St. Johns Cantius Society. He received a Gold Award of Distinction from the World Federation of Polish Combatants Association for his work helping veterans of the Second World War, members of the Polish Armed Forces, and the Polish community. He also received an honorary diploma from the Polish Canadian Congress. He received a Manitoba Centennial Award (1970) and a City of Winnipeg Centennial Award (1974).
He died at the King George Hospital in December 1984 and was emtombed in the family crypt in the Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Rybak House (359 Selkirk Avenue, Winnipeg)
Marriage registration [Francis Rybak, Catherine Sawka], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary [Katherine Rybak], Winnipeg Free Press, 29 January 1975, page 44.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 6 December 1984, page 78.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 September 2025
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