Joan Nemetchek

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our loving daughter, wife, sister, mother and grandmother. Joan left us peacefully on January 27th,2022 at her favourite winter getaway, Pine to Palm Resort Park in Weslaco, Texas with husband Ed at her side.

Audrey Joan Nemetchek (Gourlay) was born on June22nd, 1954 in Winnipeg, MB. From there the family moved to Brandon, Pilot Mound, The Pas and Swan River. Joan graduated from SVRSS in 1972 and stayed in Swan River except for approximately one year when she worked at Mack Trucks in Winnipeg. Joan worked at the family business, Roadrunner Drive In, for many years and that’s where she met her life partner, Edward Nemetchek. They were married in Swan River on January 31st, 1976. Together they eventually took over the Roadrunner and had it for many years before selling. Not ones to sit idle for long, Joan and Ed started a new business, Gifts and Gags. Their next venture was buying Niko’s Pizza and after that, Dairy Queen. Once DQ was sold, Joan was involved in her next business with the newly franchised Swan River Pizza Place. Joan eventually left the Pizza Place and started working at Liquidation World. She travelled around Manitoba and Saskatchewan to set up new Liquidation World businesses. Next opportunity was Curves Fitness Centres, first in Swan River and branching out to include The Pas, Melville and Winnipeg. Joan had a real calling in customer service, everyone was so important to her and she always displayed an attitude of gratitude. She loved her staff in all their businesses and treated them like family. Joan even received the Volunteer of the Year Award. She also kept in close contact with a number of high school chums (Maxine Pawlinsky, Beth McKay, Shelley Wray, Lesley Russell, Maureen Devlin and Judy Wilson) who would travel in Canada and the USA, approximately every two years. Joan loved life and especially enjoyed her time at the cabin at Wellman Lake with the kids and grandkids. She never missed a chance to take the grandkids on road trips, to the winter fair in Brandon, the Science Centre in Regina or Tinkertown in Winnipeg.

Once completely retired she would go to Texas every winter for a month or two. However, it was back to work again in 2016 when Ed and Joan purchased the Pizza Place and had it until 2021 when daughter Michelle took over. Joan was still able to make winter getaways to Texas during most of these years.

Many thanks to all Joan’s health care aides in the last years. She enjoyed your company, compassion, friendship, baking and thoroughly enjoyed her outings.

Joan is survived by husband Ed and their two children, Michelle Nemetchek and Jason (Lisa) Nemetchek, grandchildren Jayde Strilaeff, Porter Strilaeff, Burton Hanson, Lily Nemetchek and Avery Nemetchek, all of Swan River. Parents, Douglas and Audrey Gourlay of Brandon. Siblings, sister Diane (Mike) Martel of Regina, brother Gerald (Darlene) Gourlay of Rivers, brother Robert (Cheryl) Gourlay of Regina, plus numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

A Celebration of Life for Joan will take place at a later date.

Donations in Joan’s memory can be made to the Joan Nemetchek Memorial Education Fund at Community Foundation of Swan Valley, Box 1509, Swan River, MB R0L 1Z0 or a charity of your choice.