Paul Gawreluk, 80

Paul Gawreluk was the ninth of ten children born to Wasel and Anna Sopko Gawreluk on the family farm in rural Baudette, Minnesota. He was born on Sunday, July 9, 1944.
Paul’s siblings are Demeter (1926-1991), Waselka (1928-2011), Maria (1930-2006), Michail (1932-1981), Natalie (1934), Helena (1937), Iwon (John) (1939), Gregory (1942), Rosalia (1945).
Paul attended school in Baudette and received the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Baudette and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus men’s group.   
When Paul was growing up on the farm, there were cows, chickens, pigs, and a farm dog or two, but Paul loved cats! Paul’s dad cleared as much of the very woodsy land as he could and planted crops to feed his family.   
After Paul’s dad had a stroke, they no longer had livestock, and farming the land eventually came to an end. However, since there were no more farm dogs on the farm, Paul finally got himself some cats.
Even after the rest of his siblings left home and moved down to The Cities and beyond for work, Paul continued to live on the family farm out on Hooper Creek and worked on other people’s farms. In the summers, he created a small side job for himself selling campfire wood bundles for the tourists.
Paul was a country boy. He went to every threshing bee he could find, as well as county fairs and parades where farm machinery was on display.  He also loved bingo and the polka-mass; after all, the polka-mass was okay with his holiness Pope John Paul the II! 
About twenty years ago, when it was decided that the family farm should be sold, Paul decided it was time for him to look at other places to live, so he packed up his pickup truck and hit the road. He tried living in Greenbush for a couple of years, but not finding that to be a good fit, he moved on to Roseau, where he has lived since then. He joined the Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Roseau and was an usher there.
Having been in declining health for some time, Paul died while in hospice in Roseau, Minnesota, at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. Paul was 80 years of age. 
The family is so very grateful that Paul’s brothers, John and Greg, were able to drive all the way from Chicago to Fargo to be with Paul before his death.  
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Wasel Gawreluk in 1971 and Anna Sopko Gawreluk in 1989; his brother Michail Gawreluk in 1981; his brother Demeter Gawreluk in 1991; and Demeter’s wife Carnalee Maynard Gawreluk in 1998;  Paul’s sister Maria Gawreluk in 2006, and his sister Waselka Gawreluk Pochailo in 2011. His niece Cynthia Bauman (daughter of his sister Natalie Gawreluk Bauman)in 2021, and his brother-in-law Lester Bauman (husband of Natalie) in 2024. 
He is survived by his sister Natalie Gawreluk Bauman of Minneapolis, MN; sister Helena Gawreluk of Huntsville, Al; brothers Iwon(John)Gawreluk and Gregory Gawreluk of Elmhurst, Il; and sister Rosalia Gawreluk of Minneapolis, MN. He is also survived by two nieces, two nephews, and many cousins.   
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Baudette with burial in Elm Park Cemetery in Baudette for Paul at a yet-to-be-determined date, which will be published here on https://www.helgesonfuneralhome.com/ as soon as a date is set.