Alexander Rutka In Memoriam

      The family of Alexander (Alex) Rutka wishes to convey their profound sense of personal loss upon his passing on August 25th, 2022.   Always proud of his humble beginnings, Alex was born December 21st, 1924, in a barn on his parents’ farm in Tapleytown, Ontario.  His mother, Kate Nychka, hailed from Ashville, Manitoba; and his father, Nicholas Rutka, from Chernivtsi, Ukraine.  Alex was the second oldest of nine brothers and sisters.            

         Alex received his early education in a one-room schoolhouse in Tapleytown before attending and graduating from Saltfleet high school in Stoney Creek in 1943.  At high school he excelled at football, and track and field.  During the summers and throughout the years in high school, he helped out on his parents’ farm with raising livestock and with the annual Concord grape harvest.  Alex became the first in his family to attend university, where he studied Civil Engineering at Queen’s University, receiving his B.Sc. in 1947.  While at Queen’s, Alex worked as an engineering assistant with the Department of Highways Ontario (DHO) in the soils laboratory during the summer. He then applied to and was accepted for a full-time position in the Soils Branch of the DHO in 1947. 

            In 1950, Alex met and married the love of his life, Janet Rutka (née Bartkiw, of Welland, Ontario).  Together, they made their early homes in Toronto living on Fulton Avenue and Edinburgh Drive.  Alex became the Principal Soils Engineer, then Materials and Research Engineer, and ultimately the head of the Materials and Testing unit of the newly named Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MTC).  In 1959, he received the President’s medal from the Canadian Good Roads Association at their annual convention for the best research paper presented entitled, Evaluation of road performance over muskeg in Ontario. 

            Alex continued to work at the MTC until 1984, at which time he retired at age 59.  He continued to do consulting work and stay actively involved in organizations such as the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Roads and Transportation Association of Canada (RTAC) from whom he received the Distinguished Service Award in 1984.  In 1987, Alex was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour (meningioma) which was removed successfully, allowing him to return to his normal state of health, and to lead a productive and long life, living into his 98th year. 

            Alex is predeceased by his parents Nick and Kate Rutka; his siblings, Victor, Jean, Steven, George and Sophie.  He is greatly missed by his children and their spouses:  John (Marilena), Jim (Mari), and Margaret; his 6 grandchildren and their spouses: Jacob (Alison), Daniel (Lupe), Fiona (John), Hana, Lauren, and Marissa; and his 2 great grandchildren: Henry and Teddy; and his siblings:  Vera, Nick (Janet), and Shirley (Bob). 

            Alex will always be remembered for his kind and caring nature, his friendliness, and warm laugh.  In retirement, he was always available to help with driving grandchildren to school and activities, performing maintenance repairs at his home or the homes of his children, finding the best bargains at garage sales, being the official family photographer, chopping wood well into his nineties, and assisting the neighbours on Montressor Drive, the street where he and Janet lived for 54 years.  To many on the street, he was affectionately known as the “Mayor of Montressor”, for the many good deeds he did to assist the neighbours.  A self-taught handyman, Alex singlehandedly built an extra bedroom in their home on Montressor Drive, and demonstrated considerable “do-it-yourself” abilities with plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and masonry skills.   Alex and Janet lived a charmed life and travelled the world together in retirement - visiting Alaska, Arizona (Sedona), Virginia (Chancellorsville), China, Norway, England, Japan, and South Africa.  A favourite past time was going to the milestone reunions of his Queen’s University class, now in its 75th year! But his greatest love and passion was in supporting Janet and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with their many interests and causes.  The happy memories of numerous holiday and family gatherings with Alex making poignant and heartfelt speeches at the homes of his children will always be remembered.

All donations will be designated to b.r.a.i.n.child at the Hospital for Sick Children