Oct 29, 1925 - Nov 23, 2017
In Loving Memory of Anna Gorkoff - 1925 - 2017 - Anna was born in Brilliant on October 29, 1925 to Mike and Anna Plotnikoff. She was the youngest in a melded family with brother Nick and sister Mary (Semenoff) from her father's side and sister Mary (Wanjoff) and Mabel (Shukin) from her mother's side.
She was six weeks old when the family moved to Taghum where her dad managed a dairy. Two years later they moved to the North Shore of Kootenay Lake (Willow Point) where the family managed a farm. After another four years the family had saved enough money to purchase their own fifteen acre farm in Robson.
Robson was where Anna resided for over 80 years. She had a happy childhood growing up in Robson, attending school and dropping out every spring to work on the farm. At the age of twenty she married Mike Gorkoff and they purchased a five acre parcel of land adjacent to her parent's farm. They helped run the farm with Anna's aging parents.
Mike worked construction and eventually obtained a permanent job as a carpenter at the pulp mill. In their spare time they raised three children Bill, Violet, and Marilyn. Anna was asked: "If you could choose any occupation for a single day, what would it be?" Her answer was: "My occupation was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and now a great grandmother, and I thank God every day for that."
Baba was the true matriarch of the family. She was the coach behind the scenes - teaching the children to manage their parents, the parents to manage their children, and everyone to manage themselves. She was always open to extending her family with only one criteria for judging potential spouses for her grandchildren - "Well that one is a good eater - they'll be OK."
Anna always put her family first and loved to garden, cook, and sew for their benefit. All were welcome at her home and table. While raising her family she was also active in the USCC, teaching Sunday school, participating in cooking groups, and acting as treasurer of the inaugural ladies' fund raising group under the guidance of Mrs. Markova.
Eventually Anna's health forced her to move into an assisted care program at Castlewood where she comfortably spent her final years surrounded by many friends old and new. She passed away peacefully in the Kelowna Hospital on Thursday, November 23 in the presence of several immediate family members.
Anna was predeceased by her parents Mike and Anna Plotnikoff, her husband Mike Gorkoff, her sisters Mary Wanjoff, Mary Semenoff, Mabel Shukin, her brother Nick Plotnikoff and twin great grandchildren Breigh and Dylan Kalesnikoff who passed away at birth.
She is survived by three children -Bill Gorkoff (wife Sherley), Vi Kalesnikoff (husband John) and Marilyn Rilkoff (husband Wally), six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the staff at Castlewood for the special care and attention they provided for Anna. Thank you to the staff at the Castlegar Funeral Chapel -especially Jordan and Bill.
Thank you to the USCC psalmists, the USCC Kootenay Ladies' Catering Group, Gerry Hoodicoff and the cemetery crew, Bill Popoff, Ellie Davidoff and Peter Zaytsoff. Finally thanks to all family and friends for your support and generosity through this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested to support the following charities in Anna's memory:
Castlegar Hospital Foundation to raise money for a portable wound therapy machine:
http://www.castlegarhospitalfoundation.org/cdhf-news/light-up-2017/
Iskra Magazine:
http://www.usccdoukhobors.org/donateuscc.htm