Andrew Charles Mynarski was the second son born to recent Polish immigrants on October 14, 1916 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mynarski’s father died when he was 16 years old, and Andrew was forced to leave school early and join the workforce as a leather worker in order to help support his mother Anna and his two brothers and three sisters. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1941, the year he turned 25 years old, training in Manitoba and Alberta before successfully graduating in 1942.

Affectionately known to family and friends as “Andy,” Mynarski had a good sense of humour but was considered a relatively quiet man. Andrew enjoyed working with his hands, designing furniture and working on other woodworking projects in his spare time.