It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our Dad and Papa, Herman Alexander Schitka, on the morning of January 26, 2020 at the Lakeview Pioneer Lodge in Wakaw, SK at the age of 83 years. Born December 4, 1936 at the Anna Turnbull Hospital at Wakaw Lake, Herman was the first child of Alex and Tillie Schitka. He grew up on the farm at Lepine, SK and attended school in Bonne Madone, Bukowina and Tway. He loved the farm life but farming was not his calling. He found his true calling in Autobody Repair when Morris Kindrachuk hired him at Central Garage, the Ford Dealership in Wakaw. He learned the trade by watching and learning. This is where he fell in love with Ford vehicles. On a coffee break one day he met the love of his life, Adeline Kowalczyk. She was a new teacher in the area and was in town shopping. They were married on July 11, 1959 in Wakaw. Herman & Adeline wanted nothing more than to raise a big family but that was not God’s plan. They lost two children, Joseph & Mary, in 1960 and 1961 and then finally in October 1969 their daughter Sheri was born. Their world was centred around her many activities. During his early years at Central Garage, Herman was offered a part-time job of driving tow truck on evenings and weekends. Herman and Adeline decided to start their own business, bought the tow truck from Morris and Herman’s Towing was born. Herman was a true businessman. When Central Garage was sold Herman decided it was time for him to go into the Autobody business on his own and he opened Herman’s Autobody across the street in 1977. Adeline was there by his side doing the bookkeeping and running the operations behind the scenes. It was truly a family business with Sheri cleaning cars and answering phones after school. Hard work was something that Herman never ran away from. Community service was very important to Herman. Wakaw was the best and only place to live, it’s where he wanted to live and die. He devoted his time to many different causes. Herman served as an Alderman for the Town of Wakaw and a volunteer firefighter. He took on the role of Fire Chief for several years where he completed over 25 years of dedicated service to the Town. He was a Lions Member and spent many hours working bingos at the Lions Theatre. He was a faithful member of his church serving in whatever capacity was needed. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He devoted several years of work to maintain the cemetery where he will be laid to rest. On July 20, 1992, Herman’s world stopped when he lost Adeline very suddenly. He was lost without her. Running the Autobody business just became too hard for him to do on his own and he decided it was time to sell the business. Sheri moved back home to help, but it just wasn’t the same for him. He continued towing and then another opportunity presented itself and Herman’s Septic Service began. He served many of the lake residents for many years. Even though he was working hard, he always had time for a coffee at Country Crossroads each morning, afternoon and evening. The staff and everyone joked that you could set your clock by Herman’s coffee breaks. Herman’s greatest joys came after Sheri married his favourite son-in-law Greg Bennett and they gave him his two precious grandchildren, Jackson & Brooke. Papa always enjoyed the visits from the kids on the phone or in person and he had to hear about every hockey or lacrosse game. He was so proud of both of them. Herman eventually sold the Septic Business but continued towing until he was 76 years old, 24/7 in all weather conditions. In October 2017, when his health began to decline, he moved into the Lodge. He adjusted well to life at the Lodge and wanted to be nowhere other than in Wakaw for his final days. We thank all of the staff at the Lodge for their wonderful care. Herman leaves to mourn his passing and cherish his memory his only daughter Sheri (Greg) Bennett and his grandchildren Jackson & Brooke Bennett; his brother Raymond (Agnes) Sheetka and his three nephews Dave (Brenda) Sheetka and their children Kelsey & Nicole; Rick (Leanne) Sheetka; Mark (Sheri) Sheetka and their children Alex & Jon; his brother-in-law and sisters-in-law: Leona (Robert) Kelly, Josie (Rene) April, Larry (Eugenia) Kowalczyk, Barb (Phil) Hartman, Pat (Laurie) MacNeil and Bernie (Vic) Yasinski; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Adeline; his infant children Joseph & Mary; his parents Alex & Tillie Schitka; his parents-in-law Joseph & Kathleen Kowalczyk; and his brother and sister-in-law Ed & Lorraine Karasiuk. There will be a Public Visitation from the Chapel of Kushneryk Funeral Service on Thursday, January 30, 202 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Theresa’s Roman Catholic Church in Wakaw, SK on Friday, January 31, 2020 at 10:30 a.m with Rev. Fr. Ramel Macapala as celebrant. The interment will take place in St Theresa’s Roman Catholic Cemetery. Donations in memory of Herman may be directed to Lakeview Pioneer Lodge in Wakaw, SK or Wakaw Fire Department. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Marc Blondeau of Kushneryk’s Funeral Service, Wakaw, SK (306) 233-4403.