Alexander (Alec) Rutka passed Aug. 25, 2022. Alec is predeceased by his parents, Nick and Kate Rutka, and 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 six grandchildren and their spouses, Jacob (Alison), Daniel (Lupe), Fiona (John), Hana, Lauren, and Marissa; his two great-grandchildren, Henry and Teddy; and his siblings, Vera, Nick (Janet), and Shirley (Bob).
Always proud of his humble beginnings, Alec was born Dec. 21, 1924, in a barn on his parents鈥 farm in Tapleytown, Ont. His mother, Kate Nychka, hailed from Ashville, Man., and his father, Nicholas Rutka, from Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Alec was the second oldest of nine brothers and sisters. He 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鈥 farm with raising livestock and with the annual Concord grape harvest.
Alec became the first in his family to attend university, where he studied civil engineering at Queen鈥檚. While there, Alec 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 as a soils engineer in the soils branch of the DHO in 1947. In 1950, Alec married the love of his life, Janet Rutka (nee Bartkiw, of Welland, Ont.). Together, they made their early homes in Toronto, living on Fulton Avenue and Edinburgh Drive. Alec 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鈥檚 Medal from the Canadian Good Roads Association at their annual convention for the best research paper presented, entitled 鈥淓valuation of Road Performance Over Muskeg in Ontario.鈥 Alec continued to work at the MTC until 1983, at which time he retired at age 59.
He continued to do consulting work and stayed 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 which he received the Distinguished Service Award in 1984.
In 1987, Alec 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.
He 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 鈥淢ayor of Montressor鈥 for the many good deeds he did to assist the neighbours. A self-taught handyman, Alec single-handedly built an extra bedroom in their home and demonstrated considerable 鈥渄o-it-yourself鈥 abilities with plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and masonry skills.
Alec and Janet lived a charmed life and travelled the world together in retirement, visiting China, Norway, England, Japan, South Africa, and numerous states throughout the U.S. with their timeshare. A favourite highlight was going to the milestone reunions of his Queen鈥檚 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 Alec, where he often made poignant and heartfelt speeches at the homes of his children, will always be remembered. His family is very grateful for the care provided by the doctors and nurses at Glynnwood Revera Assisted Living, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Advent Valleyview Residence, and Humber River Hospital, where he spent his final year recovering from a fractured hip.
