Obituary of Arthur John Cipryk

Early on Good Friday morning, Art Cipryk crossed over into His eternal reward. The family of his dear wife of 37 years, Margaret (Marg) Cipryk, are grateful for the hope of Christ because of his faith and for the incredible support of the Kings Church family during this difficult season.

Art is also survived by his son John Cipryk (Karolina), and daughter Sabrina Abela, and Marg’s daughters Ellen Moore (Peter), Pam Boltz (Hoan Chau), and Amanda Finlay (James), and grandchildren, Kyle, Emily, Mallory, Rachel, Julia, Shorey, Lennon, Sam, Sinead, Evyn, and Jake, and great-grandson Nathan. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Margaret Jarrell and siblings Rose Marie Cipryk (Don Alexander), Mike Cipryk (Betsy Tauro), and Fred Cipryk (Anne Kravchenko). He was predeceased by his parents, John and Elizabeth Cipryk, and his brothers Albert Cipryk and William Cipryk.

Art loved his hockey. He never missed a Saint John Sea Dogs game and was so appreciative of his personal friendship with owner Scott McCain. He was never happier than the times he was able to watch hockey with his son, often mentioning attending every game of the 2003 World Juniors as a highlight. He was a proud fan of the Boston Bruins, having grown up near St Catharines, Ontario with some future players, and having met the team in the 60’s when they visited the crew of HMCS Cape Scott aboard the ship in Massachusetts. The current NHL season unfolding was a great source of joy for him in his final days. Although he left at age 17, Art had an enduring love for his birth town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. His computer had a tab set to a camera displaying the town’s main street and historic clock tower. Between 1960 and 1975, Art was among the most talented and hardest throwing ace softball pitchers in the country, usually among the top three fastball pitchers in the Maritime Senior 'A' league, as a member of Dartmouth Mooseheads, Marcom Aces, and the Brookfield Elks, with whom Art won a bronze medal for Nova Scotia at the 1971 National Championships in Halifax. 

In his later years, Art's sports outlet became golf, as an avid member of the Hampton golf club for some 20 years, quickly developing an enviable handicap and a colourful vocabulary. Art loved helping others, especially in his retirement years after a career in the Navy and Saint John Shipbuilding. While he did not like others drawing attention to him, he gave many years of community service with Meals on Wheels, the KV Food Bank, and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of NB. Art was very open about his membership in Alcoholics Anonymous over the past six decades. He could always be counted on to be present at various meetings as he paid forward the gift of his sobriety by the sponsorship of others in need. But most of all, Art loved his church, pastors, and Jesus. His spiritual growth over the years deepened as the pastors and people of Kings Church became his primary focus. He was especially fond of remembering the many years of productions during which he spent countless hours over months of preparation in the construction of sets and props. A lover of music, particularly the great crooners (Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Al Martino were favourites), Art would constantly fill the kitchen with the joyful noise of his exquisite whistling, a skill he would never acknowledge, and certainly not perform on demand.

Family and friends will be received at Kennebecasis Funeral Home (152 Pettingill Road, Quispamsis) on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. immediately followed by a Celebration of Art’s life at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Dan Lamos and Rev. Don Ingersoll officiating. A private family interment will be held on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the Grand River Presbyterian Cemetery in Nova Scotia. In lieu of flowers, donations made in memory of Art to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of NB, the KV Foodbank, or Kings Church will be appreciated by the family.