An old railroader has made his final trip . . .Sadly, John Maluga passed away Monday, March 13, 2017 at his residence in Yorkton Crossing at 93 years of age. John was born in the Wroxton district on May 16, 1923 to parents, Andrew and Mary (nee Homenchuk) Maluga. Andrew worked on a section gang for Canadian National Railway, so the family lived in a number of small towns in Saskatchewan before finally settling in Stornoway, a place John considered home. As a young fellow John worked on threshing crews for several farmers and then ventured out to British Columbia for a great adventure "riding the rails" to New Westminster with several buddies where they found hard, dirty work in sawmills and peat moss farms. John returned to Saskatchewan and enlisted in the army during WWII. He took his basic training at Camp Borden, ON but was never posted overseas. He moved to Wynyard to begin work as a brakeman with Canadian Pacific Railway in April, 1944. John spent 39 years with Canadian Pacific, retiring as a conductor in Wynyard on May 10, 1983. It was really the 'golden age' of railroading, when a crew consisted of five men--two brakemen, a conductor, a fireman and engineer. They cooked and played cards in the caboose and most of the crew slept there while away from home overnight. Now a crew consists of only two people and of course the caboose is long gone! While with the railroad, John was active in the union, serving as United Transportation Union representative for Wynyard divisional point for several terms. That position brought with it a number of memorable showdowns through the years between John and local CP officials and he was involved in at least one nation-wide strike. John moved to Yorkton in 1989 and lived there until his passing. Although he never finished school, he was a remarkable, self-educated person. He was a great reader--newspapers, magazines and books. He had a library at home that was stocked with books on subjects ranging from history to biographies to world events--all non-fiction. John did his share of travelling. He was to Europe twice and to Australia and New Zealand as well as a number of trips to the USA and one to the Yukon. But when he moved to Yorkton he took great pleasure in travelling the back roads of this province to visit and photograph historical sites and other interesting locations, often with an old friend, George Lukiwski. He also took an interest in genealogy and compiled an invaluable collection of family photos and histories. He enjoyed reading and learning until the day of his passing. John was also a jazz and blues music fan. His favourite artists: Louis Armstrong and B.B. King. He saw both perform in person, B.B. several times. John was predeceased by his parents and sisters, Eileen Maluga and Pauline Waites. He is survived and missed by a daughter, Susan (Werner) Mack and son, Jack. He will be missed by many friends and staff, both old and new, at his previous residence, The Bentley and most recently Yorkton Crossing. At John's request, no formal funeral service will be held. Memorial donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders (Suite 402 - 720 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9) or the Health Foundation of East Central Saskatchewan (41 Betts Avenue, Yorkton, SK, S3N 1M1). Friends so wishing may forward their condolences to the family by visiting . Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Christie's Funeral Home & Crematorium, Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
