MANEK, Andre 'Andy' - (1946 - 2021) - As hard as it is to believe he’s gone, Andre (Andy) Manek died in his home on Tuesday January 26th, 2021 of heart-related illness. (To be honest, he used the word “croaked” when referring to anyone else who’d died, so feel free to do the same – he would prefer it).
Andy was a simple guy who loved to fish, read, smoke his pipe, play darts, go for walks in the city, and eat meals with his family, during which he would discuss what he should eat at his next meal.
He was born in Brussels, Belgium on December 12th, 1946 to Ukrainian parents Irena and Nicolas Manek, and immigrated to Canada when he was only 5 years old.
His life in Canada started on a farm in Chatham, after which his family moved to the immigrant enclave of Kensington Market where his parents plucked chickens until they saved enough money to buy a house in Roncesvalles to be closer to the “good” kielbasa.
Andy was known for his super-human work ethic and had many jobs over the course of his life that contributed to his deep well of human experience. From delivering fish and chips as kid on his bicycle, to making candy, from Bellhopping at a Wasaga Beach Hotel in the 50s to a lifelong career as a printer and graphic artist - Andy walked through the world with the experience of a person who had seen it all and probably had an opinion about it.
The one thing Andy loved most was the outdoors - and the lack of people in them. He and a group of friends fished on his beloved Lake Nipissing for over 25 years and he often said if he was to have another vocation it would be in conservation.
When he did socialize in town, he enjoyed his Saturday afternoons at the Brampton Legion playing darts and pool, and enjoying the two beers it would take to get him drunk.
Andy lived for garage sales and the high of the haggle, valiantly imparting to his daughters the fine art of the “walk away." His love of grocery store free samples was unparalleled, inspiring his own sacred proverb: “If it’s for free, it’s for me!”
He was a loving father who lived for his girls and raised them with a fierce sense of independence, justice and humour. He taught them both how to cook with a sense of abandon and eat with a sense of adventure. He loved (most) of their friends as his own children and often remarked on how lucky they were to have such wonderful buddies.
Bold and honest, you always knew where you stood with Andy, but unique for a man of his generation, he was a magical combination of tough and tender. He claimed to have “one good fight left in him” that he was saving for a daughter’s wedding, but the mention of his mother made him weep. He always appreciated the simple things in life – sausage on a bun, a good Pho, grilled sardines, a great cup of coffee, or a custard tart - and yet somehow found a way to make them seem sophisticated and precious.
He is survived by his daughters Nicole Manek and Colette Gale, his grandsons Marcus Gale and Leon Manek Collier, his sons-in-law Robert Gale and Wendell Collier, his ex-wife Maureen Palmer, his brother Peter Manek, his ex-partner Rita Tonner and oldest and dearest friend Sandy DeCecco.
In honour of his great love of the outdoors, his daughters have set up an award in his name in Environmental Conservation at Nipissing University - the school near the Lake that brought him so much joy.
As of this spring, you can visit Andy in Christie Pits Park where a commemorative tree will be generously planted by family friends in his honour. The family asks that you bring a coffee or a beer along and tell him a good fart joke.
Arrangements entrusted with Andrews funeral home, Brampton.
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