Andrew (Andy) Hrchak passed away suddenly on the evening of Sept 7th at Serenity Retirement Home in Barrie, Ont. He was in his 82nd year.
Predeceased by his wife Carolyn (nee Ireland) and son Ron, Andy will be sorely missed by his daughter Susan, who will always remain his “Daddy’s little girl”.
Andy is also survived by his son in law Steve, as well his grandchildren Aiden and Ella for whom he was so incredibly proud always having many of their pictures displayed on his wall.
Brother of Mary Sheehan, Brother in law of Jim and Elanor Ireland, Ken and Pam Ireland, Phil Sheehan, and Uncle to Terry, Barb, Rob, Doug, Matt, Joe, Tanya and Mark, Andy will leave many found memories of family camping and ski trips to places such as Sauble Beach and Ellicottville, NY.
Andy was born in Timmins, Ontario to hardworking Czechoslovakian immigrants. Like many boys in Northern Ontario, Andy grew up hunting and fishing. Andy was steadfast in his belief that fish should be pan fried in a little butter and only eaten plain. One of his favourite musicians was fellow Timmins native Stomping Tom Connors, who he once fondly drank a beer with after one of his shows.
After working in some of Timmons most famous gold mines as a young man, Andy headed south to find steady work. He met Carolyn Ireland in Owen Sound and they eventually married and settled in Barrie. Andy worked as a firefighter at Base Bordon where he developed many cherished life-long friendships.
Andy was not afraid to share his opinions and no topic was off limit. There was never any BS with him; he was a straight shooter who always told it to you like it was.
Andy also had a fantastic sense of humour and loved to tell a joke. Nobody at Steve and Sue’s wedding can forget his hilarious speech which had everyone in stitches.
In their retirement, Andy and Carolyn loved nothing more than spending their summers at Sauble Falls Tent and Trailer Park where many more lifelong friendships were born and flourished. Andy was also a devoted member of the Odd Fellows Chapter in Barrie.
Andy’s family would like to extend a loving thanks to Donna, Bill and Angela at Serenity Retirement for going above and beyond in their care and for always treating Andy like a family member.
A celebration of life to take place for Andy will be announced in the coming weeks. Arrangements entrusted to Adams Funeral Home. Messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family through adamsfuneralhome.ca.