May 23, 1928 – January 17, 2022
In loving memory ~
Fred was born May 23, 1928 at Nichvalodoff Village in Pass Creek, British Columbia to parents William Soukeroff and Mabel Postnikoff, the youngest of five children. He grew up in Pass Creek, before spending two years working in the orchards of Kaleden and Okanagan Falls, when he was 18. At the age of 20, he began his logging career at Fife, British Columbia, with his uncles at Soukoroff Logging. He remained in this field for 25 years, working as a faller for various saw mills and lumber companies, before suffering a head injury while working for Kalesnikoff Lumber, which forced him into early retirement at the age of 45.
He was an avid fisherman, spending whatever time he could by the side of the nearby rivers and lakes; he also enjoyed many hours foraging in the mountains for huckleberries, mushrooms, and other local vegetation. Another favoured pastime was his work in the garden at home, in which he took much pride. Fred was a lifetime USCC member, and spent many long nights guarding Verigin’s Tomb and the Brilliant Cultural Centre. He also enjoyed singing, and was a member of several Doukhobor choirs, notably the Pass Creek Choir and the Doukhobor Cultural Choir.
Fred married Mable Kalmakoff on October 27, 1956. They went on to have four children together; one son and three daughters. They lived in Pass Creek, Blueberry, Shoreacres, and Castlegar, before finally moving to Calgary, Alberta, in 2000, to be closer to their son and granddaughters. Fred is predeceased by his father William in 1944; his mother Mabel in 1977; his first wife Laura Voikin and unborn child in 1954; his sisters Nora (William) Sofonoff in 2008, and Annie (Peter) Hadikin in 1989; his brothers Sam in 1999, and William (Vera) in 1993; and his wife of 60 years, Mable, in 2017. He is survived by his son, Joseph; granddaughters, Lorena and Cody; great-grandchildren, Adam and Reia; estranged daughter Louise; estranged daughter Gail; estranged daughter Janet, and her family.Obituary-