Motylewski, Janusz Ryszard, age 78, died peacefully at home in the early morning hours of August 19, 2021. A lifelong optimist, he courageously battled prostate cancer during a period of social isolation due to a global pandemic. He shared his nest with his partner of 25 years Anna, in Pitt Meadows BC, where they had many parking spots available for their cars and campers.

Shortly after meeting Anna, they bought their first camper van and their passion for long road-trips was born. Over the years, and with increasingly larger campers, they toured the USA and Canada, bringing along Janusz’s cat Sheba, who was a big part of his heart for 18 years.

Janusz was born in Tarnobrzeg, Poland during WW2. He grew up in Brzesko with his parents Zygmunt and Maria (Maja), and two brothers, Jerzy and Krzysztof. He moved to Krakow to study Geodesy Engineering at AGH University of Science and Technology, and soon after, at Klub Pod Jaszczurami, he met his first wife Maria, whom he married in 1966. Two years later, at age 25, he became a father.

In the early 1970s, when an opportunity to escape communism in Poland came up, Janusz left to work abroad, first in the UK, then in Nigeria, where he maintained the heavy-duty machinery used to dredge a port near Port-Harcourt on the Niger River Delta. With no desire to return to the political turmoil of his homeland, Janusz immigrated to Canada in 1980. True to his adventurous nature, he shipped his sporty MGB-GT from the UK to Montreal and drove his small family across Canada, first settling in Edmonton and then permanently in British Columbia, where, with his entrepreneurial spirit, he opened his own auto-repair shop in North Vancouver.

Cars were Janusz’s lifelong passion. He loved driving them, fixing them, building them, and even racing them. He was a lifelong fan of Formula 1 and drove in rallies as a young man in Poland. Soon after moving to Vancouver, he built a race car and along with his daughter began competing in races at Westwood Motorsport Park. He was a great team leader and mechanic who was always keen to help everyone around him. Extremely hard-working and generous to a fault, Janusz often offered his skills, expertise, and labour without asking for any compensation.

Aside from cars and camping road-trips, Janusz also loved photography and in his younger years had gigs as a press photographer covering auto sports. In later years his interests turned to new technology and digital imaging and his new subject matter became the scenery of the places he traveled to.

Spanning half the globe, Janusz had a life full of colourful experiences with many interesting stories to tell (just like the film Big Fish). He loved good conversation among friends while sipping old Scotch whisky, puffing quality tobacco, and listening to jazz and blues. He was a warm, loving and loyal man, an optimistic dreamer, cheerful and resilient, skilled and resourceful, dedicated and stubborn, always friendly, helpful and giving. He was sensitive and compassionate, loved nature and the great outdoors and was very fond of animals, especially cats.

Janusz is survived by his loving partner Anna Ilowiecka; daughter Joanna, grandson Nathaniel Ippe and first wife Maria; brother Jerzy (Alina) Motylewski; nieces Anna, Agnieszka, Malgorzata, Aleksandra and nephew Mariusz; his second wife Anna Krupska and stepdaughter Veronika. He is predeceased by his parents Zygmunt and Maria (Miąsko) and his brother Krzysztof Motylewski.

He is much loved by many and will always be missed and remembered.

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Janusz was cremated at Maple Ridge Funeral Chapel in Maple Ridge BC, Canada.
A memorial mass was held at St. Casimir's Polish church in Vancouver on October 9, 2021.
His ashes were laid to rest in his family grave in Brzesko, Poland on May 12, 2022.

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View photo albums of Janusz's life at
https://bit.ly/motylewski or https://bit.ly/januszphotos

Visit Janusz's family grave site in Brzesko Poland at
https://bit.ly/januszmotylewski

The short link to this memorial page is
https://bit.ly/januszmemorial