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August 27, 1926 - November 24, 2012


John passed away peacefully on November 24th at Richmond Rotary Hospice where he spent his final days in the company of his children. He is survived by daughter Annette, two sons John Jr. and Daniel, and six grand children. He was predeceased by daughter Julie.


John was born in the year of the tiger, under the zodiac sign of Leo. He was raised and schooled in a quiet, rural prairie setting near Canora, Saskatchewan. In 1945, as a young man he moved to British Columbia to work in the construction industry, becoming a crew foreman on the Waneta Dam project and subsequently working for Cominco. Ten years later, he established his own excavating and construction company, which he operated for 30 years. Married in 1954, he raised four children in Castlegar. He returned to Cominco for the last part of his career and, once retired, moved onto a large acreage in Ootischenia where he lived for over 20 years in his senior years.


He had a wide range of interests and hobbies, including golfing, reading, and a lifelong passion for playing accordion. In 1995, he was chosen for his deep, rich voice to play the narrator role, otherwise known as the “Cosmic Voice”, in the Doukhobor Centennial Choir presentation of Metamorphosis: A Spiritual Journey, which gained international recognition as the production toured Canada and Russia. John was also a very proud Past Chancellor for the Knights of Pythias, keeping the fraternity’s book of wisdom by his side to the last day.


We thank Talarico Place and Richmond Rotary Hospice for the compassion and love they shared with dad and the family over the last few months. In lieu of flowers, we request that John’s family and friends donate in his memory to Talarico Place, Richmond Rotary Hospice, and the Doukhobor Discovery Centre and Museum in Castlegar. For more info, contact asaliken@telus.net.



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