It is with great sadness that we announce that Vera Voykin passed away unexpectedly at the Castlegar Emergency Care Centre on Friday, March 13, 2015. A traditional Doukhobor funeral service was held at the Brilliant Cultural Centre on Thursday, March 19th, followed by a meal prepared by the Ootischenia ladies. She was interred in the Ootischenia cemetery.
Vera Voykin , née Kanigan, was born October 26, 1936 in Ootischenia, BC to Cecil and Polly Kanigan. She grew up the youngest of the siblings first at the Bellii Dom, and then when it was removed to make room for airport construction, Vera’s family moved to a private home in central Ootischenia.
Vera met and married her husband, Harry Voykin, in 1955 and they lived in Pass Creek, where they had 4 children. The family moved to Ootischenia in 1960 where Vera and Harry resided until they moved into care in 2009. Vera spent the last few years of her life being cared for by her good friends at Castlewood Village.
Vera enjoyed cooking and baking, gardening with her husband and sharing the fruits of their labors with family and friends. She avidly knitted and crocheted, leaving many of us with treasured pieces for our homes. Vera and Harry also enjoyed their 10 years of operating the Doukhobor Restaurant at the Doukhobor museum site.
She was predeceased by her parents, her brother Walter C. Kanigan and his wife Nellie, her brother Cecil Kanigan and his wife Polly and her sister Nellie Voikin and her husband Alec; her daughter Vera, and her grandson Alixander Fominoff.
She is survived by her son Lawrence (Ev) Voykin and daughters Holly, (John)Strilaeff, Pam (Fred) Fominoff, Wendy (Nick Plotnikoff) Voykin, 5 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
We would like to thank all staff at the Castlegar Emergency Care Centre for their care of our mother during her final moments, theKootenay Psalmists, Ootischenia Cooking group and gravediggers, the staff at the Castlegar Funeral Chapel, our relatives, friends, and neighbours for their kind expressions of sympathy, phone calls, cards, donations, food and visits. Thank you to John Verigin Jr. and Laura Verigin and family for your kind and comforting words. Thank you to Peter Zaytsoff for officiating at the service.
In lieu of flowers mourners are requested to make a donation in Vera’s name to the
John J. Verigin Memorial Fund.