John William Hlookoff passed away suddenly at his home on September 17, 2009 at the age of 73. John was born Sept 17th 1936 in Trail B.C. to parents William and Dora (Postnikoff) Hlookoff.
He grew up in Goose Creek, Crescent Valley, B.C. with his parents and older brother Bill. At the age of 14 or so, he worked for various companies in the forest industry - Joe Ross Logging, Pacific Logging, Triangle Pacific, and Evin’s contracting. For the Evin brothers, he was one of the primary D-8
operators that cleared the site for the High Arrow Damn in Castlegar B.C. In 1967 he joined Alec and Jack Voykin to form V&H contracting Ltd. After working for a few years, John decided to go on his own and became sole proprietor of V&H contracting. From that day forward John continued to build roads throughout the Kootenays and had quickly established a reputation as one of the most respected and talented operators
around. If you’ve ever driven on logging roads in the Kootenays, chances are you’ve probably driven on one of John Hlookoff’s roads. For many years, he worked in the Slocan Valley building roads for Slocan Forest Products. To this day, John’s company is actively employed by Kalesnikoff Lumber Company Ltd. in Thrums, B.C. Work was a big part of John’s life, but he will always be remembered for his generosity
towards his family, friends and anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
When John was 16 years old he met Charlotte Sherbinin while picking up milk for his parents at Savenkoff’s farm. It wasn’t long before John and Charlotte became inseparable. After dating for three years John and Charlotte exchanged their vows and
were married on June 23rd, 1956. They settled on their property in Goose Creek where they raised three children John, Rick and Gary. After their children moved out, John and Charlotte decided to build their dream home on the banks of the Kootenay River in the South Slocan and moved in, in 1999. Besides their unconditional love and passion for their family, John and Charlotte enjoyed spending their weekends camping at Summit Lake and travelling to Palm
Springs and various places in Canada and the United States. There were many hobbies and activities that John enjoyed which included fishing, fixing and painting cars and gardening. He was a very gifted musician who enjoyed
playing guitar, accordion and singing at gatherings and family functions.
John always made it a priority to be involved in his children’s and his grandchildren’s activities. Whether it was travelling to cold hockey rinks all over B.C. or going to high school concerts and events. John showed up with a smile on his face to tell them how
proud he was of their achievements.
In 2004, John’s health took a turn and he required heart surgery. As a consequence of the surgery John suffered a stroke that required a life threatening emergency procedure.
John beat all the odds and successfully recovered from his stroke. With the addition of two new grandchildren Gevyn and Jayden, they inspired John to live life to the fullest. In the last few months of his life, John found great pleasure in taking his youngest
grandchildren on regular outings to local shopping malls, arcades andrestaurants in the area.
John is survived by his loving wife, Charlotte of 53 years, son John and wife Teresa, children Tara and Shawn. Son Rick and wife Sharon, children Tanner and Tyler. Son Gary and wife Monica, children Gevyn and Jayden. Mother-in-law Helen Sherbinin, sister-in-law, Mini Hlookoff (Abbotsford, B.C.) brother-in-law Colin and Kathy Sherbinin and family, sister-in-law Irene and Pat Poznikoff and family, sister-in-law
Nettie and Mickey Shkuratoff and family, numerous nieces, nephews and other
relatives and friends. John was pre-deceased by an infant sister, his father William John Hlookoff (1966),
Mother Dora (1976), brother Bill (2002), father-in-law Pete Sherbinin (2001).
He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by his family, relatives and friends. May God accept his soul into his heavenly Kingdom. May he rest in Peace. John’s funeral services were held at the Krestova Community Hall, and he was laid to rest at the Krestova Cemetary on Monday, September 21, 2009.
In memory of John W. Hlookoff, donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation
or to the “Iskra” Publication, PO Box 3024, Castlegar B.C., V1N 3HA, would be
appreciated. On behalf of the family of John William Hlookoff, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Andre Kirsten and Dr. Stephanie Landry of Nelson, to the First Responders of the Beasley Firehall Search and Rescue and to the Nelson Ambulance Paramedics. We would also like to thank Mr. Bill Strilaeff and Mr. Peter Zaytsoff of the Castlegar Funeral Chapel for their excellent service. Thank you to the
Krestova Community Hall members, the psalmists, Mr. Sid Malakoff for officiating the service, Katie Podmorrow and her cooking group, the volunteer “lapsha” makers, the grave diggers for preparing John’s final resting place, Mr. Steve Lapshinoff for his
assistance, and Mr. Harry Zeabin and family for the beautiful casket. Thanks also to the wonderful South Slocan and Crescent Valley neighbors, friends and relatives who sent food, flowers, cards and donations. Thanks to all those who phoned, sent messages of condolences, and emails. Thank you to all the friends, relatives and guests who took
time off to travel from out of town to attend and contribute to the services. May God bless you all for your thoughtful and generous support at this time of sorrow. Your support is greatly appreciated and will always be remembered.