Mark Belak

Mark Belak
March 6, 1962 – April 6, 2017

Mark Patrick Belak was born to Walter and Mary (nee Doyle) Belak on March 6, 1962 in Regina, and grew up in Wynyard. His mother worked as a nurse, and his father was parts man at the GM dealership.  Mark was a hard worker; he was always busy and worked with his father after school and on weekends.  He spent a great deal of time with his Uncle Mike on his farm.  Mark often spoke of working in the fields and the time spent fixing machinery. He loved sharing his memories of his time spent on the farm.  They were clearly precious to him.  This was likely, at least in part, where the foundation of his mechanical knowledge was firmly entrenched.  Mark did a very good job of whatever he worked on.  He was meticulous and it seemed he could do just about anything.  Although Mark was a mill rite, he was also an expert welder, machinist, and fabricator.  Mark worked a variety of jobs in his life.  Soon after high school, he went to Red Deer and worked for a fracking company.  He then returned to Wynyard to work as a mill rite at Quill Resources.  In 1990 or 91 he purchased and moved to an acreage between Jansen and LeRoy.  At this time he was working in the Poundmaker Ethanol plant.  After a number of years he quit at Poundmaker and started working for Greentree Engineering out of Tisdale on a variety of projects.  He was instrumental in the design and construction of the ethanol plant at Weyburn and the expansion of Bungee at Nipawin.  Most recently, Mark worked for Sapphire water, from their Humboldt and Watson offices.  In this position he would design and price out large reverse osmosis systems for towns and businesses.  Mark was indeed good at what he did and it always seemed like he could do anything.  Mark loved gardening; he was proud of his huge garden and would harvest incredible amounts of food. Where most of us would plant a few zucchini seeds, Mark would plant a row of them.  Mark shared his zucchini. When he offered more zucchini and was told we were still swamped with them, they would appear on our doorsteps when we were away and he would have a good laugh about it afterward!   Wagonloads of potatoes were dug in fall.  Pumpkins aplenty were available for jack-o-lanterns and pies.  Mark also loved walking through his friends’ gardens (vegetable and flower), to learn about something new and check progress.  Mark loved canning and freezing the things he grew. He made pickles from cucumbers, beans, carrots, beets and jalapeno peppers and froze corn and pumpkin. He cooked meals (was especially proud of his lazy cabbage rolls), baked pies, and even made rosettes to share with us at Christmas.  In the last three years Mark was perfecting his skills with his traeger smoker.  He smoked meats, cheeses, and made jerky.  We were always grateful when he’d arrive with something new and delicious to taste!  Mark loved his “toys”.  He could always be seen out and about on his quad or his motorcycle in summer. They were always more shiny than anyone else’s and had received a good tune-up before operating them.  Mark was presently working on assembling a helicopter that he purchased a few years ago.  He was most excited about getting it put together so he could begin his classes to fly it. Mark loved animals. In his years on the farm he had two dogs which he loved dearly.  When work kept him away from home, he felt it was unfair to have a dog so he adopted our pets.  There was always time to spend with the dogs and dishes of milk for Brandon and Karly’s cats when they made their morning visits.  There is so much to be said about the person Mark was. Although he was a private person, when you became Mark’s friend, you had a friend indeed.  He would do anything for you.  He always greeted you with a large, warm smile and a little joke.  He loved to visit.  Mark was not a soft spoken man and as his passion grew for the subject at hand, so did the volume of his voice.  His eyes would get bigger and his hands would start waving the more excited he got. He loved children and would buy a treat, or a gift for his friends’ kids.  He loved his parents and was indeed the center of their lives.  They travelled to his farm daily, as health permitted, and clearly enjoyed the life Mark was making there as much as he did. Mark had a wide circle of friends. Each of us can relate stories of the place he held in our lives.  There is no doubt he will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by so many.  A Graveside Service was held on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 11:00 a.m., celebrated by Fr. Augustine Osei Bonsu at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Wynyard, Saskatchewan. Kathy Arnst and Mike Sokul delivered the eulogy, and the urnbearer was Brandon Arnst. Memorial donations may be directed to SPCA Saskatchewan P.O. Box 37 Saskatoon, SK S7K 3K1 or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.