Kelly Yelenik will be remembered as a happy go lucky man who always brought laughter to the kitchens where he whipped up culinary delights for his customers.
Yelenik, 49, and his girlfriend, Sheryl Eldridge, 42, were identified Thursday as the victims of a mobile home fire in the Bowden Estates Trailer Park early Sunday morning. The couple had been dating for about eight months and had lived in the trailer park for about six months.
“He was always laughing,” said his mother Phyllis Yelenik, who lives in Innisfail.
“He was joking all the time. He was hard working. He was always cooking. He loved his job.”
Yelenik was a father of two and a grandfather of one.
At the time of his death, he was the night chef at the Starlite Diner in Bowden and a cook at the Innisfail Golf Club.
Yelenik also worked at the Toad ‘n Turtle Pubhouse and Grill for more than a year in Red Deer.
“He always had a smart comment to make someone laugh if they were having a down day,” said Marion Yovdoshuk, a chef at the Toad ‘n Turtle.
“He would pick you right back up.”
Terry Hughes, master chef at the Starlite Diner, said Yelenik was like a big teddy bear with a heart of gold.
Hughes said Yelenik was serious and passionate about his craft and was preparing to take his Red Seal Test in June. Hughes said he was in line for a promotion to executive chef.
No information was available on Eldridge.
Cpl. Troy Byrt of the Olds RCMP detachment said the fire was determined accidental but careless smoking was a contributing factor in the blaze.
Fire crews responded to the fire in the trailer park around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday.
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com