Obituary of Ethelyne Kostyk
Ethelyne Laura Kostyk, 88 years of age, passed away on Tuesday, December 9th, 2025, in Brandon, Manitoba after a brief hospital stay following her residence at Dinsdale Personal Care Home.
Ethelyne began her journey on June 30th, 1937 in the Village of Winnipegosis, Manitoba. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Campbell and sister to Emery. Her father, Thomas was Captain of the ‘Myrtle M’ freighter that sailed the vast waters of Lake Winnipegosis. The family travelled to many places; often going north to Whiskey Jack and Channel Islands, and several places along the way.
Thomas also took his children on air flights into places that were hard to reach by land so Ethelyne and her brother Emery spent a great deal of time out on the lakes and outdoors in the woods.
Her mother, Margaret, worked part-time at the local doctor’s office and was quite the hunter, herself. She took pride in being a skilled hunter and was also someone who could cook anything so Ethelyne acquired her own cooking skills watching and learning from her parents.
Ethelyne’s parents were often away working, moving several times throughout their lives. At one point, they were living up north and Margaret was worried about Ethelyne not receiving her complete education, so Ethelyne was placed in a convent, where she was schooled for the duration and made lifelong friends with some of the nuns.
At 20 years of age, Ethelyne married the love of her life, Mike, son of Mike Kostyk Sr., the local shoemaker. They married on May 10, 1958 and moved to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario where Mike found work and their first child, Leila, was born. One night, on his way home from work, Mike found and saved a little dog that was hit by a car; brought him home and named him ‘Blackie.’ The little dog never left his side and also guarded Leila, lying underneath her stroller, always protecting her.
While living in “the Soo” young and energetic Ethelyne worked part-time washing windshields of semi-trailers at a truck stop. They were only in Ontario for a couple of years; then moved back to Manitoba when Mike accepted a job with INCO (International Nickel Co) in Thompson, Manitoba. During their time in Thompson, they had two more children, Lori and Thomas.
They loved their home in Thompson and were having the time of their lives; enjoying many friends, their membership with Presbyterian Church, several community activities, and outdoor excursions in the beauty of the northern landscape. Mike was employed as supervisor of the Smelter Division for INCO and Ethelyne planned on staying home to raise the kids until they were older. Ethelyne’s life was piano recitals with Leila and Lori, Cub Scouts with Thomas, swimming lessons for all, ice skating at the rink, various activities and events with Brownies and Scouts, making costumes for Halloween, hosting Christmas parties and caroling, knitting & sewing new clothes, exploring the woods and wildflowers, hiking and nature walks along the banks of the river, reading interesting books, and generally always seeking out activities and adventures for herself and her children.
But that happiness was not to last, as Mike tragically became ill and passed away far too young on September 1, 1970. Mike was a loving, giving person always looking out for his fellow man and he did so right to the bitter end. When he knew he couldn’t come back from his cancer diagnosis, he made plans to donate his body to science in the hopes that others may not suffer or have to go through such loss. Ethelyne held memorial services for Mike in both Thompson and Winnipegosis, but he was buried in Winnipeg according to his donation arrangement. The family’s last good memory together was camping in late winter at Pisew Falls, Manitoba; six months before Mike’s death.
In her quest to keep things stable, Ethelyne met another man, Robert, in 1971 and planned on marrying him, but tragedy struck again as he was killed in a head-on collision when travelling to Thompson to see her.
In 1972, Ethelyne met a wonderful man, Kenneth, an avid outdoorsman and pilot, who enjoyed flying his Piper PA-20 aircraft and driving his speedboat on many waterways. They had so much fun together and he was great with her kids, who enjoyed regularly swimming in his pool at Princeton Towers.
In 1973 Ethelyne moved her family south to Brandon, Manitoba, where she thought better opportunities might await her. She was still dating Ken, but he was flying all over delivering cargo and he had also planned to leave Thompson and move to British Columbia. She also enrolled Lori into the local YMCA swimming & gymnastics programs, and son Tom into the Big Brothers program, where he was matched with a big brother mentor. During this period, she was employed at Red Oak Inn, working as reception host.
In 1974 and 1975 Ethelyne, Ken, and her kids went on vacations to British Columbia to visit friends who had moved there and had good times at their cabin horseback riding, exploring, swimming, fishing, boating, and going to gymkhana equestrian events. There were also amusement parks & slides, travelling to the historic Town of Barkerville, Radium Hot Springs, and many other sights and visits along the way, including family in Calgary, the Calgary Stampede, Banff gondola lift, historical places, and Ken’s parents farm in Saskatchewan.
Things were looking up again, but Ethelyne and Ken were often apart due to his flying and mostly working out of the U.S. They were not always together, but always kept in touch. Then tragedy struck yet again in 1978. Ethelyne received the call that Ken’s twin engine Beechcraft flying from Florida to the Bahamas went down. His body was never found and he remains on the FBI Missing Persons List.
She had many more ups and downs along her journey as a motel owner, then briefly living in Edmonton and Red Deer Alberta. Upon returning to Manitoba, she worked at BMHC (Brandon Mental Health Centre) for many years. She eventually met another fellow, William, who was her partner for several years. They made a home in Ethelbert so she could be close to her mother, Margaret, in Winnipegosis.
Ethelyne so enjoyed her flowers and garden and turned her huge yard from a plain field into a gorgeous park-like setting worthy of the cover of any gardening magazine. She also spent her time with her church activities, preparing sermons for times when they were without a minister, and making home cooked meals for her mom in personal care.
Ethelyne and Bill sold their home and moved away from Ethelbert in 2018, a few years after her mom, Margaret, passed away and when Ethelyne could no longer maintain her home as illness set in. She then resided in Souris, Manitoba, eventually moving into personal care in Souris, Wawanesa, and finally Brandon.
Ethelyne is survived by her children; Leila (Dan), Lori (Randy), and Thomas (Adette); grandchildren Alethia, Leo, and Raven; and great-grandchild Elijah. She also leaves long time friend Myrtle Flett of Winnipegosis, who was her maid of honor at her 1958 wedding to Mike, her sister-in-law Lucille Kostyk of Winnipeg, extended relatives Carol Heape of The Pas, Kostyk’s of Calgary, friend Edie Fredrickson of Kamloops, as well as her partner of several years, William (Bill), along with his family and the many friends she met along the way in life.
Ethelyne’s kind, loving spirit will never be forgotten. Currently, a formal memorial service is not planned, although we are hoping to arrange one in Winnipegosis, MB for the summer of 2026.
Ethelyne had requested and arranged for her resting place to be beside her husband Mike. A private memorial and interment will follow at a later date at Brookside Cemetery in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ethelyne Kostyk, please visit Tribute Store
