Henry Joseph Ruzicka
August 29 th , 1927 – February 23 rd , 2023
Henry Ruzicka, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, passed
away peacefully at the Viking Extendicare on February 23, 2023 at the age of 95.
Henry was born in Viking, Alberta on August 29, 1927, to parents John and Emily Ruzicka.
Henry grew up on a farm southwest of Viking in the Prague District. He loved the farm life, from
a very young age he took an interest in horses, soon after he started buying, selling and training
them. His favorite breed of course was Percherons.
On May 26, 1953, Henry married the love of his life, Gina Petrzelka. They were married for 69
years and together they had 5 children, Shirley, Cathy, John, Karen and Gord. His calm
demeanour and fun-loving personality made him a wonderful husband, father, and
grandfather. All the children and grandchildren have numerous loving stories all demonstrating
his gentle nature and love of his family. Many memories were made and lessons learned from
working with him and the horses on the farm. Henry made sure each child had a saddle horse
to ride around the farm, in shows and at 4H events. The family's summers were filled with
showing their 6-horse hitch at fairs and parades all around Alberta, including Klondike Days and
the Calgary Stampede. During the remainder of the year Henry loved thrashing, feeding cattle,
and giving sleigh rides to family, friends, and various clubs. When Gord and John took over
showing the Percherons, Henry and Gina loved to attend these shows with them to help out
and cheer them on.
Henry enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, he always made sure everyone knew
they were welcome to stop by for a coffee, meal or a family gathering, the more the merrier.
Every visit included some time for telling jokes, as he loved to make everyone laugh!
Over the years Henry, Gina and their family enjoyed trips to Montana, Las Vegas, Banff, B.C.
and Disneyland.
Henry belonged to the Viking Ag Society, the Percheron Association and the Viking Knights of
Columbus.
Henry and Gina lived on the family farm until 2007 when they retired and bought a house in
Viking. In 2017 Henry moved into the Viking Extendicare.
Henry will remain forever in the hearts of his wife Gina, children Shirley (Gord) Reithmayer,
John (Karen) Ruzicka, Karen (Rob) Thompson, Gord (Shannon) Ruzicka, his grandchildren Benjie
(Joan) Jacobson, Wanda (Mark) Loades, Stacey Ruzicka (Shane), Nikki Fossum, Whitney
Langton, Cody Thompson, Megan Thompson, Blayne Ruzicka, Nicole (Cody) Woodbury, Dailynn
Ruzicka, Halley Ruzicka, 10 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Henry was predeceased by his daughter Cathy, parents John and Emily, brothers Ed (Helen),
Lou (Molly) and Eugene (Margaret), sisters Clara (Art) Lansing and Agnes (Leo) Palek.

The Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday March 4, 2023 at the Holy Heart of Mary
Roman Catholic Church in Viking, Alberta, with the burial following at the Prague Cemetery.
He was a man strong in his faith, may his soul rest in peace.
In Appreciation
The family would like to thank everyone that stopped in to visit, brought food and flowers, gave
donations, and sent their condolences over the past couple of weeks, it was greatly
appreciated.
A special thanks to:
- The Viking Extendicare staff for all their care and compassion during Henry's final few weeks.
- All the doctors who cared for Henry over the years.
- Father Robert Lee, Greg and Lynn Ruzicka and everyone who helped make the mass and burial
service possible.
- Viking Funeral home for the professional and caring way they helped us through this difficult
time.
- Donna's Food With Flair for catering a wonderful lunch.