Educator.
Born at Arnaud on 31 August 1926, son of John Franz Sawatsky (1895-1981) and Helene Bartel (1896-1947), he grew up on the family farm and enlisted for military duty in the Second World War, training at Camp Shilo before being sent overseas. Upon demobilization, he attended Manitoba Teachers’ College and took up teaching, working primarily in southern Manitoba. He taught at Lister West School (1950-1953), Woolwich School (1953-1958), Bristol School (1958-1960, Principal), Goodwill Collegiate (1960-1961), and Grunthal Collegiate (1961-1966, Principal 1963-1966).
In the summer of 1966, he moved to Winnipeg and gained employment with the St. James School Division (later St. James - Assiniboia School Division) where he taught (1966-1968), was Vice-Principal Hedges Junior High School (1968-1970) and Silver Heights Collegiate (1970-1974), and served Principal of Woodhaven School (1974-1981) and Bannatyne School (1981-1983), after which he concluded his career as Vice-Principal of Strathmillan School (1983-1984). He retired in the summer of 1984.
He and wife Elfriede (who married Ray Jack Landin in 2012) had two children.
He died at the Grace Hospital on 2 November 2006 and was buried in the Grunthal Cemetery.
Obituary [John F. Sawatsky], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 July 1981, page 32.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 November 2006.
Obituary [Ray Jack Landin] Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 2019.
Elmwood Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
Arnaud Mennonite Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
Grunthal Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 5 October 2024
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