August 14, 1990 – February 26, 2023
at the age of 32 years:
With great sadness, we announce the unexpected passing of Deborah Merolla on Sunday, February 26th, 2023, at the age of 32 years. Deborah was born in Heidelberg, Germany, and lived her first 4 years in Italy before permanently immigrating to Sicamous, B.C. She worked at the Sicamous Husky, Eagle Valley Lodge, and Moose Mulligans restaurant in Sicamous, and lastly in the oil fields where she passed away unexpectedly.
Deborah will be loved and greatly missed forever by her father, family, and her many friends.
A memorial service will be held at the Sicamous Community Church (Mountain Park Motorsports building) in Sicamous, B.C. on Saturday, April 1st, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Condolences can be placed on the “Memories of Deborah” Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/3433218120270700
August 16, 1937 – February 23, 2023
at the age of 85 years:
It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of Donald Fredrik Tarabas (aka Papa, Dad, Hubby, Kathleen’s ‘Babe’) age 85, who passed on Thursday the 23rd of February 2023. He went peacefully in his sleep in his own bed, surrounded by hymns and love. He was no doubt greeted by his Mum and Dad, brothers, sister and childhood dog, Panda.
From his birth on the 16th of August 1937 until his last days, he lived life to the fullest. He was predeceased by his mother (Mary) and father (Stefan) and his 3 brothers, Pete, Karl and Walter, and his sister Elsie. He leaves behind his wife Kathleen, daughter Colleen and son Dan. He leaves behind seven Grandchildren. Five on Colleen’s side: Andrew (Jessica), William (Christine), Catherine, Alex and Emma, and two on Dan’s side, Brennan (Jessica) and Arcassa (Joey). He also had three and a half Great-Grandchildren: Alistair, Cole, Evie and soon to be born, Lucas.
Don grew up in Sault Ste Marie and when he was 17 years old, he left ‘the Soo’ to join the Navy and served for 26 years, from 1954 – 1980. During his Navy days, his favourite posting was to Bermuda where he took up scuba diving. He loved to be in the water and continued to dive when posted to Masset on the west coast, until into his 40’s where he would don his tank, mask and fins to clean his swimming pool in Vernon BC.
He remained an eligible bachelor until he married Kathleen Ruth Griggs on the 30 June 1976. They met in Masset and Kathleen had two well-behaved, very intelligent children of her own. (this is on the internet, so it must be true). Don took up the challenge of raising a 9-year old boy and 6-year old girl and he did a great job as a father and a husband. Whether taking the family camping or fishing in Masset or picking blueberries in the fields of the Northwest Territories while posted to Inuvik, he always found ways to expose the kids to new experiences.
He had an easy smile, and always made those around him feel comfortable. While stationed at CFS Inuvik as the Station Warrant Officer, he would invite retiring sailors over for a special dinner and thank them for their service. He loved to cook with his lovely wife and together they put on many kitchen parties. They always invited a few friends for dinner which was usually followed by a game of cards, some of which got pretty rowdy. The children were usually in bed by that time but from their bedroom upstairs, they could hear the sound of laughing and rough housing/scrambling around the kitchen or even the living room during a game of spoons. These dinners often had themes, where they would choose various cuisines such as Chinese, Hawaiian, Mexican, Italian or Ukrainian. His Perogies and Borscht were especially delicious and all meals were made with love, the special ingredient that everyone appreciated.
After his retirement from the Navy, he worked for a few more years with Intercraft, putting on many miles driving around the lower mainland of BC until he fully retired in the late 80’s. Upon retirement, he and Kathy spent a lot of time on the road with their RV Trailer, heading down to California or Mexico for the winters and spending many sunny days on the golf course. On the road, they met many new people who would become lifelong friends. He had no problem making friends, and Don was known to be trustworthy and loyal. He would not hesitate to lend a hand where needed. He volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Abbotsford for many years, whether contributing with his outstanding carpentry skills, or supporting fundraising efforts by selling raffle tickets in the mall.
He would give you the shirt off his back and showed his love of his friends and families not through his words, but through his works. He spent innumerable hours helping family members improve or repair their homes. His skills included carpentry, installing Gyproc and crack-filling, plumbing or electrical work to name a few. His helping hands were always welcomed by whoever needed them.
Later in life, he became very interested in woodcarving and he learned a lot from his friends with the same interest. His work even made the local newspaper on more than one occasion.
He dabbled in real estate as an investment and he did pretty well. Over the years he rented out single homes, a duplex and even a 10-unit apartment building. With regards to investing, his advice was “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see”, or “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.
Don loved the outdoors and being in nature, and this love was passed onto his kids. Like many Ukrainians, he enjoyed his libations and when good friends or family came over, he could often be heard making the toast “na zdorovya”, (to health, or to your health). He never forgot his roots, and although his father rarely spoke of his time in the Canadian Internment Camps during and after WWI, Don embraced his Ukrainian roots and when cooking Ukrainian food, the English or Ukrainian word for any dish was often used interchangeably.
Don was cremated and his Granddaughter Arcassa (a ceramicist/potter), will be making an urn for his ashes, and he will be buried with his wife Kathleen when the time comes. He was loved, and he will be missed.
January 10, 1968 – February 23, 2023
at the age of 55 years
Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life, 12:30pm on Saturday, March 11, 2023, held at the Shuswap Community Church, 3151 6th Ave NE, Salmon Arm, BC
It comes with deep sorrow and broken hearts for the family of William Michael Vike, usually known as Bill(y), to announce his untimely passing on February 23, 2023 in Vancouver, BC. Bill was born January 10, 1968 in Salmon Arm, BC. After graduating from Salmon Arm Sr. Sec., Bill ventured out and tried his hand at a variety of jobs and truly became a jack-of-all trades. His love of fishing landed him work, commercial fishing for a total of 26 seasons. He also learned carpentry and other construction skills, specializing in metal cladding for 35 years. Bill was also an extremely experienced mechanic and there were very few jobs he wouldn’t tackle. In addition, he had the imagination to see beauty and value in what most people would call junk but often profited from these investments. Bill was a talented artist and created beautiful art with his hands, but his preferred art form was performing music. One of his favorite locations was at the main wharf in Salmon Arm. There he would entertain tourists and locals alike bringing a happy, carefree vibe. Often, they’d stop to listen and many would break into spontaneous dancing. Bill had some severe physical issues but despite this he had a strong sense of humour and work ethic. Billy possessed a generous, compassionate, and understanding spirit. He knew what it was like to struggle which even made him more sensitive to those who had similar challenges. Bill would frequently provide food, clothing, shelter and kind words of encouragement to others, especially in the homeless community. He also had a deep faith in Jesus Christ and our comfort is the assurance that he is now dancing on those streets paved with gold in the presence of God! Bill is survived by his loving mother (Doris) Irene Vike, siblings David, Norene(Paul), Doris, Mark(Paulette), Dan(Marilyn), Jim, Norm, Julie(Jeff), Paul(Rhonda), Pauline(Randy), 30 nieces, nephews and their spouses, 43 great nieces and nephews and numerous friends. He was predeceased by his father Norman, brother-in-law Ken, nephew Josh and niece Danielle Marie. Bill’s life truly impacted so many. Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life, 12:30pm on Saturday, March 11, 2023, held at the Shuswap Community Church, 3151 6th Ave NE, Salmon Arm, B.C. Reception and open mic to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bill Vike’s name to Union Gospel Mission, 601 East Hastings St., Vancouver, BC. V6A 1J7.
Billy, you will be forever and unconditionally loved!
