A wonderful and beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, Ivan Emil Pechnik peacefully passed away at his home in Gainesville, Georgia, and went to his Heavenly home on October 28, 2022, after being recently diagnosed with cancer.  Ivan was 83 years old. He is survived by Frances Pechnik, his wife of 38 years, three children, Steven (Kim) Weiss, Cheryl (Rusty) Trump, and Charles (Lydia) Weiss, and eight grandchildren:  Taylor (Chris) Saunders, Ben Weiss, Tyler (Heather) Trump, Tatiana Trump, Carter Trump, Parker Trump, Isaiah Weiss, and Gabby Weiss.  He is predeceased by his parents, Anka and Ayonko Pechnik, and his sister, Nada Pechnik.  Although Ivan only resided in Gainesville for the last couple of years, he was previously a resident of Cumming, Georgia, for 25 years.
 
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, a small town just outside of Toronto, Ivan lived near the railroad tracks and developed a life-long fascination with trains. In his youth, he also enjoyed riding his bike and playing the ukulele. After attending a year of college, Ivan eventually became an over the road truck driver for nearly 60 years and retired at the age of 80. It was on a delivery down to Florida where he met his wife, Fran. As an adult, he enjoyed family gatherings, vacations, holidays, attending church, and spending time with friends and neighbors. In addition to his interest in trains, he also enjoyed working out at the gym, sports cars, watching NASCAR and football, as well as reading the Wall Street Journal and watching CNBC to keep up on business news and the stock market. 
 
A long-time member of Perimeter Church, Ivan looked forward to attending services every Sunday, where he served in the Coffee Bar for many years. He was also active in Daybreak, a weekly men's bible study. A loving father to his children and grandchildren, “Pappy” was highly involved in their lives, and a role model and friend to them. Ivan was extremely personable, always had an authentic encouraging word, an uplifting sense of humor and leaves behind a legacy of love, encouragement, gratitude, laughter, and faith.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society at https://donate3.cancer.org in memory of Ivan Pechnik.