Obituary of Whitney Landis Okapiec

It is with broken hearts that our family announces a most kind and warm heart suddenly stopped beating.

Whitney Okapiec, aged 44 years, of Winnipeg, MB., passed away on Friday, March 1, 2024, at his residence. 

Left to mourn his passing are his parents, Wayne and Maryann; brothers, Shaylan (Melanie), Riley (Giselle) and Lindsey (Amanda); nephews, Ryan, Evan, Lochlan and Oscar. Whit also leaves behind many other relatives, friends and his little pet companion, Rockum.

Whit grew up in East St. Paul where he played hockey, baseball, attended elementary and junior high school and then completed his education at River East Collegiate.

After graduating he worked at WRS Environmental Services, Carland, as a financial specialist at Auto Finance and lastly was a wash bay manager and detailer at Jade Transport where he enjoyed the camaraderie of everyone there.

With admirable strength, Whit fought long and courageously through health issues, there was never any giving up.

Whit had an infectious and charismatic personality to the point where he would easily make friends with complete strangers. Toss in some humour and before long they would talk as though they were longtime friends.

Family was most important to Whit. He loved his nephews and especially enjoyed family gatherings often coming with flowers in hand for mom and lemon dainties for dad which both enjoyed. He was always generously willing to lend us a hand whenever he was able to.

Whit loved nature and being outdoors. From a young age, he was very inquisitive about berries, flowers, insects and animal footprints among other things in nature. More recently he enjoyed the many park walks either alone or with friends and their dogs during which there would undoubtedly be some good natured banter and laughter. The birds and squirrels were always well fed. Top of the list however, was his passion for fishing. Even if the fish weren’t biting, it was still regarded as a successful outing.

Whit was talented in a number of ways. He was able to repair and construct things in his own inventive ways. He was a self-taught mechanic and auto body repairer. He worked many hours over three years to restore a 1972 VW Beetle. Being a lover of VW Beetles when young, he had completed his childhood dream. It was his pride and joy. When his beloved Dodge Durango, which sometimes served as a camper, needed repairs, it would be fixed for the most part, sometime with the assistance of a friend, without having to be taken in to a garage for servicing. More recently, attention turned to restoring old dirt bikes. When done, they would be taken out to the cabin and put through their paces.

Whit was a gardener who possessed the proverbial “green thumb”. In his younger years, he could be seen in the garden with his brothers, sometimes sitting in lawn chairs, nourishing and watching their vegetables grow. More recently, indoors at his residence, he successfully grew numerous vegetables, some of which to feed Rockum, some to eat and some to share with others, especially those specialty ripe tomatoes in mid winter.

Sadly, Whit’s life journey has ended far too soon but along with that there is no longer any pain or suffering.

Rest in Peace!

Forever  loved and never forgotten!

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, or the Winnipeg Humane Society.

A Celebration of Life for Whit will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Birchwood Funeral Chapel, 162 PTH 52W, Steinbach, Manitoba.

A private family interment will take place at a later date.

Our family wishes to kindly thank the many who have called, sent cards, texts, flowers, tributes and food.