'Never forget': Winnipeg family spends Father's Day honouring late father

Tanya Jakob knew this Father's Day was going to be hard for her and her boys.

Tanya lost her husband, Ian, to cancer at Christmas, and this Father's Day was the first that her sons Hunter, 9, and Ronan, 4, would have to spend without their dad.

So she was determined to make the day specialand planned a day full of the things Ian loved to do with his two sons.

"With this day coming up and of course, you know, all the advertising around it, I knew that we needed to discuss this well in advance and definitely wanted to make it special and do something in the spirit of Ian," she told CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show host Nadia Kidwaion Sunday.

"I got the kids involved and asked them, you know, let's do stuff today that dad would have loved to do so that we can honour him and come up with some ideas."

The family had a lot of ideas to choose from.

"He had so many varied interests that's what made me fall in love with him," Tanya said.

"Everything from motorcycling to horseback riding to culture and food and love of running and activities and outdoors he was definitely into everything."

Hunter saidhe and Ronan would often go on "major bike rides to Kildonan Park" with their dad before getting ice cream and heading to the theatre to watch one of Ian's favourite movies, all things he wanted to do this Father's Day.

"I thought we would go to the movies and maybe watch The Incredibles. I think it was a great idea and I agreed with it because I knew it was in remembrance of my dad and I just wanted to have a good day on Father's Day," he said.

'It's important to remember who he was'

So that's exactly how the family planned to start off the day Sunday.

"Everything from a monster bike ride to going and seeing the horses, to going and checking out some motorcycles this afternoon, possibly at the Harley store, and ending the day with a night at the movies," said Tanya.

"I think it's important to remember who he was, to never forget."

The plans made a hard day a little bit easier for Ian's dad, too.

"I worried about it of course.I didn't know how I would be," Will said.

"But it's such a good idea. Ian and I and another friend actually bicycled across Manitoba in 2006 and just had a wonderful time. Ian just loved it. We just liked being outside.All of us do."

Tanya hopes the experience will both help the family remember Ian and create new memories for Hunter and Ronan.

"These kids are going to grow up hopefully being and living a part of who their dad was."