Ernest “Ernie” Danny Tomchuk

14 December 1945 – 12 November 2025

The journey of Ernie Tomchuk’s life ended peacefully on 12 November 2025, surrounded by his family and close friends.

Ernie was predeceased by his father Dymetro, mother Maria, and brother Ed. He will be deeply missed by his wife Trudy; sons Travis (Meghan) and Tim (Janaya); grandchildren Helaina (Conner), Preston, Darius, Anton, and Émile; sisters Eleanor, Eadie, and Liz; and many nieces and nephews.

Ernie was born on 14 December 1945 in Winnipeg. He met Trudy at Garden City Collegiate in 1965 and they were married two years later, on 6 May 1967. They bought land in St. Andrews in the late 1970s, and Ernie, with the help of his father Dymetro, framed and built the roof on the home where the couple would raise their family and live through the remainder of Ernie’s life.

Ernie always wanted to serve his community, and joined the Winnipeg Police Department, as it was then known, in 1967. He met his life-long friends Chris Lundgren and John Verhoven while attending the Police Academy, and the trio created many memories that are safely kept with Chris and John. Ernie served with the Winnipeg Police Service for 25 years before retiring in 1992.

After retirement, Ernie turned his sights to conflict resolution through the Menno Simons College and University of Winnipeg joint program. After graduation, he started his own business – Sport Mediation and Educational Services (SMES) – to help make sports a more positive and supportive experience for all children. His work with SMES led to him being a member of the Winnipeg Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors for a number of years. Ernie also volunteered at the Winnipeg Police Museum and often appeared in the Santa Claus Parade wearing an old police buffalo coat or driving an older model squad car.

Ernie was physically active throughout this life. He began playing lacrosse in his teens with the Elmwood Shamrocks and was proud to have been offered a scholarship by a US college to play stateside, even though he was unable to accept it. While still living in Winnipeg he would bike 26 kilometers to work. Through his life, he enjoyed playing many other sports including sponge hockey, golf, and more recently bowling with his team the Funtastic Five.

Ernie was often involved in Travis and Tim’s extracurricular activities. He was a leader in Beavers and Cubs and a soccer and hockey coach. He and Tim even joined forces to coach the St. Andrew Aces and the Selkirk Fisherman over the course of six years.

Ernie had many hobbies and interests. He supported the Winnipeg Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. He loved woodworking and yard work, shopping for tools at his favourite stores, and travelling. An avid gardener, Ernie was Treasurer for the Selkirk Horticultural Society for 15 years. He also enjoyed simple pleasures like visiting Tim Horton’s, drinking coffee, eating bologna or Klik sandwiches, and feeding the birds.

Family meant everything to Ernie. His grandchildren were one of his greatest joys and he spent as much time with them as he could. He frequently attended their many sports matches and musical activities. To keep in touch with his ever-growing extended family, he and Trudy hosted a regular summer event known as the Ukrainian Games. Here, Ernie’s immediate family, siblings, nieces, and nephews would play a variety of games, enjoy good food, and have many laughs and memories.

Ernie had many good friends throughout his life and was a very social person. He met regularly for breakfast with his retired police buddies.

Ernie and Trudy shared all of life’s big and small moments together, and created many memories while raising their family. They had countless adventures together during their retirement, and enjoyed travelling, discovering new restaurants, attending concerts, and visiting the casino. They took pride in tending to their beautiful home and garden. Their relationship was one of love, laughter, and dedication.

Ernie was a man of impeccable integrity and honesty who knew how to carry himself in the world. He had a great read on people and knew who was worth his time and who wasn’t. Ernie had an excellent sense of humour and enjoyed joking around and having a good laugh. He always had a big smile and it lit up the room. Ernie was generous with his time and money, and was always there to help family and friends in any way he was needed.

Ernie knew that his time was running short and had the foresight to hold a “Celebration of Life while Still Living” in early September of this year. He was happy to be able to spend time with family and close friends, share memories, have a laugh, and to say goodbye.

Ernie: as husband, father, father-in-law, papa, brother, and friend you will be missed by all of us that knew and loved you.

In lieu of flowers, Ernie’s family kindly requests that all of his friends and relatives take a few minutes to honour his memory by sharing photos, memories, and stories using the comment section on this page.

Tributes: www.gilbartfuneralhome.com

Gilbart Funeral Home, Selkirk in care of arrangements.