Sheldon Hackl
January 27, 1969 – November 21, 2018
It is with broken hearts and profound sadness that the family of Richard Sheldon Hackl, aged 49 years, announce his sudden passing on Wednesday, November 21, 2018. Sheldon was born on January 27th, 1969 and has proudly lived his entire life in Dryden, Ontario.
Sheldon will be deeply missed by his wife Shelly and his children, Chad, Ben and Alexa. They have special memories of him as a hockey coach, fishing guide, baseball player, Leafs fan, storyteller, jokester, builder, Jays fan, country music karaoke master, prankster and most importantly a loving husband and dad.
Sheldon is also survived by his father Willibald Hackl, brother Garry Alden Hackl (Heather Howse), sister Eileen Hackl (Bryan Challis) and cousin Wayne Langanki. He was predeceased by his mother Viola Hackl in 2008, sister Katherine Hackl in 1972, Auntie Vina in 2003, and cousin Roger Langanki (and Debbie) in 2017. Uncle Sheldon will be fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews Emily, Willi, Noah, Ryan, Mason and Dylan, as well as numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, especially Aunt Colleen. He is survived by his mother and father-in-law, Victor and Debra Brown, and brother-in-law Todd Brown.
Sheldon was a lineman for over 25 years with Ontario Hydro, Sioux Lookout Hydro and most recently as a supervisor for Hydro One. He spent many hours helping to bring power to remote Northern Communities, residents of Ottawa during the ice storm of 1998 and to local families in Dryden, Sioux Lookout and surrounding areas.
He was a member of the Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation. In the summer, you would likely find him at the Sandy Beach ball diamonds playing for the Rippers and Hagen’s Heroes Slo-Pitch teams as well as the Longhorns fastball team. In the winter, he was a dedicated hockey coach, guiding his son’s hockey teams in from Mighty Mites right through to Bantam AA. He coached the AA Dryden Paperkings program from Atom AA – Bantam AA. Known for his happy positive attitudes and sportsmanship after both wins and losses, he was every player’s favourite coach. His ultimate goal as a coach was to make sure everyone was a team player, and that they showed great sportsmanship, and most importantly had fun!
Sheldon was a very avid hunter and fisherman. Many people, notably his devoted friend, Mark Haukeness, will miss his witty one-liners on their adventurous excursions through the bush. Whether it was hunting partridge or moose, the party usually ended up at The Hunter’s Tavern. Once on the lake, playful rivalries ensued to see who would be the one to catch the first, biggest and most fish. “Hack” will forever be in the hearts and memories of his many friends and co-workers.
Sheldon demonstrated his spirit of generosity, taking visitors from Toronto, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Austria, to find the perfect spot to drop a line. Fishing trips with the family were his favourite way to show everyone how much he loved them, their company and sharing his secret fishing holes.
A very special thanks to Travis for his quick response and efforts to assist Sheldon at the time of his distress.
We will always carry Sheldon’s memory in a special place in our hearts.
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