Obituary of Les Steven Baliko

LES STEVEN BALIKO On February 28, 2013, at the age of 66, Les passed away suddenly due to complications from metastatic melanoma. He was surrounded by his loving family. Les was predeceased by his parents Laszlo and Helen Baliko; and his in-laws Blanche and Ron MacDonald. Les is greatly missed by his devoted wife Joan; his loving daughters Shaeya (Boonie) Baliko-Phonsavatdy, and Krista (Sarah) Baliko; and his beloved granddaughter Nylah Ray Phonsavatdy; his sisters Beatrix (Reg) Howe, Helen (Milt) Baliko, Elizabeth (Laci) Gorbe (in Hungary); his auntie Margaret Baliko (in Hungary); his brother-in-laws Wayne (Liz) MacDonald and Daryl (Angela) MacDonald; his sister-in-law Sharon MacDonald; his nieces Sherrie (Steve) Howe and Jackie (Landen) MacDonald; his nephews Darcy (Sharon) Howe, Laci (Judit) Gorbe, Attila Gorbe, Jeremy (Jared) MacDonald and Ian MacDonald; and his grandnieces and grandnephews Travis and Cole Aussant, Saxon and Kira Howe, and Marton and Daniel Gorbe. Les was born in Pecs, Hungary on July 9, 1946. In 1957, he and his family fled Hungary and arrived in Regina in April of that same year. After meeting in their early teens, Les married Joan, his childhood sweetheart, at Campion College on October 9, 1971. Education played a key role in Less life and he taught in Regina Catholic Schools for 30 years. He derived great pleasure from spending time with his family, especially enjoyed cooking for them, and loved sitting, talking and laughing with them. Les also spent much of his time helping out his family coaching both of his daughters sports teams, renovating houses, fixing gates, building fences, and maintaining cars. Les was a man of all trades, and he could truly fix or build almost anything if given enough time to figure it out. He was a warrior when it came to running. Les ran almost everyday, and participated in several marathons across Canada. Les was also passionate about photography, and many of his amazing shots fill his house. During his retirement, Les took great joy in tending to his roses, gardening, woodworking, travelling, playing chess, doing crossword puzzles, watching soccer, and most of all, spending precious moments with his granddaughter. He also volunteered for numerous organizations, and was always excited to share his knowledge so that it benefited others. After Les died, one of the volunteers at the hospital recognized his name. She had hired him to be a tutor for people trying to obtain their GEDs. She said that Les had been one of their best teachers, and he had certainly had a positive impact on many people. To hear this would have made Les day. Memorial Service will be held at Knox Metropolitan United Church, 2340 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK, on Friday, March 8, at 1:30 p.m. with Dr. Reverend Robert A. Kitchen. As Les was a life-long learner and teacher, and because he believed strongly in education, his love of learning is his legacy. Thus, in lieu of flowers, a trust account has been opened with Investment Planning Council for his granddaughter Nylahs education. If you wish to contribute please send a cheque payable to Nylah Phonsavatdy c/o 2260 Lorne Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2M7. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com