Michael HOSSACK

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HOSSACK: Michael Adam Hossack. February 28th, 1958 –August 4th, 2017. Michael was born in Steinbach, Manitoba. He came screaming into the world with a head full of long white-blond hair. He was a rambunctious baby who commonly rocked his crib from his bedroom to the living room to protest bedtime and when he was only a few years older he would often leave the house on his wooden horse before dawn to get started on the days’ adventures. As he grew into a young man he learned to channel that inner restlessness into sports. He played hockey, baseball and golf. He became a good swimmer and lifeguard at the beach in Killarney, Manitoba, where his family had moved when he was nine years old. His love of sports stayed with him throughout his life. He often rose early to golf, quietly enjoying the game before the course got crowded. He enjoyed taking fishing trips with friends as well as his father, Jim Hossack. In the winter, he liked to curl and he religiously watched Junior World Hockey, Blue Jays Baseball and Blue Bombers Football. An undiagnosed learning disability made getting though school extremely challenging for Mike. Although English was difficult Mike thrived in mathematics. He worked very hard and after highschool, Mike went on to earn undergraduate and master’s degrees in civil engineering. He enjoyed putting his skills to work on complex problems for the Department of Highways inRegina, Saskatchewan and he received a prestigious engineering award. But Mike did not enjoy the world of government. He felt forced to make engineering compromises for political reasons. He said, “I could not do what I knew in my heart was wrong.” So, he left the department of highways as well as his engineering career. That was Mike. He lived in his heart and let it guide him. It guided him back to Killarney where he put his skill with numbers to use as a financial advisor. It guided him back to his parents, Jim andJane, whom he loved unconditionally. It guided him to Sandy, his loving partner of the last 14 years, and to her children whom he loved as his own. Mike was a true introvert. A man of few words, but he was a great listener, very observant and easy to please. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye and a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor. Underneath an often gruff exterior, was a sensitive, compassionate, and humble man. Mike struggled for a long time with alcohol addiction. He fought with his typical grit and determination but in the end, as it so often does, the disease won, and we lost Mike. Mike’s heart was big, and loving, and even at the end, when the disease had ravaged his body, his heart kept beating strong. When it was time to go, he left quietly and with forgiveness. It is our dearest hope that he gave a big bunch of that forgiveness to himself. Michael leaves behind his parents, Jim and Jane Hossack, and older brother Philip Hossack, and two younger sisters, Allison and Susan Hossack, his partner Sandy Tobler and her children Alex, Daniella, Ted, and Stephanie as well as many dear friends, Aunts, Uncles, cousins and colleagues. Interment and a celebration of Mike’s life has taken place in Mike’s home town of Killarney,Manitoba. Donations in memory of Michael can be made tothe Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, 1031 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3G 0R8.

As published in Brandon Sun on Aug 17, 2017