MICHAEL JOHN SOTAS

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MICHAEL JOHN SOTAS Peacefully on Monday, October 23, 2006 at Health Sciences Centre, with his family at his side, Michael John Sotas passed away at the age of 88 years. Mike was born October 9, 1918 on the family farm at Glen Elmo, Manitoba in the R.M. of Rossburn to Harry and Anna Sotas. He completed his grade eight in seven years at Valley School. Due to a lack of funds he was unable to attend Rossburn High School till two years later after he earned some money to pay his tuition. He had a great desire to attend University; however, lack of money prevented him from achieving this goal. In his childhood he had the benefit of a community of Ukrainian and Anglo-Saxon immigrant families who had left their homelands of extreme poverty to seek a better life in Canada. At an early age through discussions with these neighbours he became aware of the economic and social injustices in his community and the world. He had a voracious appetite for books of world history, geography and what would later be called political science. The great depression of the 1930s forced him to become one of the hobos riding the freight trains. He crossed Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans twice, seeking non-existent employment. He was proud he saw both oceans at no cost to him before he was 20 years old. He joined the Army in the Dental Corps in 1941. On a three week furlough back home he met Margaret Pawluk at a dance in the Karmaznuk house. Due to a family tragedy he was discharged from the army in 1943 and took over the family farm in the valley. Mike and Margaret were married on June 10, 1944. A few years later Mike needed $100 to put towards the purchase of a binder. He went to the local bank to borrow that amount and was refused. On the street he met a neighbour, the late Fred Deydey and he told him what had transpired at the bank. Fred took Mike to the bank manager and took out $100.00 from his wallet and in front of the manager gave it to Mike and said, Mr. Manager, you're crazy. As a result of this incident in 1954 Mike became one of the ten founding members of the Rossburn Credit Union. In addition to this action, Mike sat on the Valley and Rossburn School Boards as Trustee, the Board of the Birdtail Pool Elevator, as Secretary of the Glen Elmo Orthodox Church, the Board of the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture and the Manitoba Farmers Union as a member. As well, he was Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Rossburn in 1960 and 1961. He was also on the board of the Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation under the Schreyer and Pawley New Democrat Governments. He was a local Candidate for the Canadian Cooperative Federation (CCF) and the New Democratic Party both federally and provincially in five elections. Throughout his life Mike was a firm and solid believer in the public good. He worked towards, and spoke in favour of, a medical system now known as Medicare and believed that this was brought about only by pressure put on governments of the day by New Democratic Party members. In his opinion it was the single greatest social achievement Canadians could enjoy! Mike also believed that people had in them an inherent goodness; he often told the story of the Lady in Revelstoke. When he was riding the trains looking for work and found himself there, he noticed a large pile of wood in a yard which needed chopping. So he knocked on the door and asked if he could do some work for a meal. The Lady said yes, to go ahead and split the pile of wood in the yard. So he started in and after a while the Lady called him to the house and said to come in to eat and that she had only wanted to see if he was willing to work. Mike was predeceased by his parents; brothers, Charlie, John and Paul; and sisters, Mary, Wora and Pauline. He leaves in joy of his life, his wife Margaret; children Wayne and wife Dianna, Wilma, Betty and husband Ron, Lloyd and wife Lillian and Harry and wife Elly; eight grandchildren, Shauna (Ty), Michael (Jacy) and Larissa, Tracy (Craig), Sara and Nicholas, Julia and Carly; six great-grandchildren, Payton, Aleigh, Aiden, Rhea, Jeremy and James. He is also survived by his sister, Anne Fawcett and nieces and nephews. The family wishes to thank the ambulance paramedics and the 911 system for their immediate response. We also thank all the Doctors and Nurses at the Health Sciences Centre Emergency for their efficient, kind and professional care provided to our husband and father. Greatly appreciated is the help Mike received from the Palliative and Home Care offices. In accordance with his wishes, cremation has taken place and no service will be held. Flowers are gratefully declined. Thoughts of the day: If you think of me and cry, Do not think of me at all. But if you think of me and laugh, Think of me often.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 28, 2006