JOHN HOAS

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JOHN HOAS Peacefully, with his family by his side, John Hoas passed away into the arms of his Saviour and Lord on Sunday, March 16, 2008. John was predeceased by his wife Kristina in 2003, after 65 years of marriage; by their daughter Martha Johnson; a grandson Richard Hoas, and a sister Emma Malmas. He is survived by son Alfred (Evelyn) and son Emil (Katie); son-in-law Ruben Johnson; sisters, Christina Taylor, Elin Mykle, and brother Nils Hoas. He was blessed with nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Family was the light of his life. Dad was born in Gammelsvenskby, Ukraine on February 17, 1913 and immigrated to Canada in 1930, settling on a farm at Meadows in 1931. Here he established a dairy and grain farm with his father and sons. He especially loved seeding and harvesting and was always interested in crop yields and how much milk the cows produced. He was very proud to have harvested crops for 70 years in a row. He was also a very innovative mechanic and welder and could fix almost anything. As family we always laughed at his priorities - his faith was Lutheran, his political persuasion was Conservative, combines were Gleaner and he always drove a Ford. John and Kristina loved to dance and sing and for years bowled twice a week. They were also the perfect hosts and entertained lots of company from Sweden and from across Canada. Everyone was always welcome. They were very proud of their Swedish heritage. They were honorary life members of Meadows Community Club and of Strindberg Lodge, Vasa Order of America. John was also an avid golfer. But as a grandpa he was always happiest when his grandchildren and great-grandchildren were around and had a ready supply of lemon drops and raspberry candies in his pocket for all children. Dad was fortunate enough to remain in his home until a year and a half ago with the excellent care of his 13 homecare workers. He enjoyed their company very much. When the loss of his eyesight made living at home impossible, he moved to Tudor House in Selkirk and then to Rosewood Lodge in Stonewall. Thank you to the staff at both facilities for the kindness and care you showed our Dad. Thank you also to the staff at Seven Oaks Hospital, Unit 1, 4th floor, and the staff at Stonewall Hospital for the compassion and care shown to Dad and us as a family in his last days. Prayers will be held at St. Marks Lutheran Church, 600 Cambridge St., Winnipeg on Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. Funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Marks Lutheran Church with burial at Chapel Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Marks Lutheran Church or C.N.I.B., 1080 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R3G 3M3. NEIL BARDAL INC. 949-2200 nbardal.mb.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 18, 2008