Mike Maskalyk

Respectfully submitted by the Maskalyk family.

Mike Maskalyk of Lac La Biche, Alberta, passed away at the age of 99 years on May 5 2022. He was a remarkable man, a man of the land, made a life hunting, fishing, trapping and accumulating stories which he told right to the end. His stories were of a life that seems long ago, before highways and cell phones, with a deep reverence for the natural world. There was a time when he’d leave Lac La Biche with a sled team of dogs, bound for his Bellis trapline, and be gone for weeks. Eventually, he moved to farming mink then became a commercial freshwater fisherman, something he continued on Lac La Biche and nearby lakes, eventually with his son Miles. His wife Katherine was a schoolteacher and librarian, and both of them were well loved by many in town. While he eventually left the nets behind, he continued trapping and hunting, often accompanied by his grandchildren and sons Milton and Miles, and shot his last moose when he was 80. Even in his last year, when he moved to Lac Alta Lodge, his mind clear but body frail, he would ask his children or grandchildren to take him to the trapline, Mile 7, or just a drive to the bush. He was happiest in the woods.
His family wants to thank the staff at Lac Alta Lodge for showing him such kind care, and allowing him to spend his few years there with such dignity. We would also like to thank Dr Nortje and the many acute care nurses at William J. Cadzow Hospital for being so compassionate in his last days. We are forever indebted.

He is survived by his son Milton, daughter-in-law Brenda Robitaille, grandchildren Jim, Dan (Adrienne), Dylan, Kayne (Jaclyn), and great-grandchildren Lucy, Sam, and Leo. He was predeceased by his wife Katherine of 67 years, his son Miles, his daughter-in-law Lucile, ten siblings of which he was the youngest, and his parents. He is remembered by friends of all ages, who had a chance to know this wonderful man.

The funeral service will be 2 pm Friday May 13 2022, at the Evangelical Free Church, in Lac La Biche, Alberta, and burial the following day at 2 pm Sat May 14 2022, at Edwand Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, or other monetary support, the family asks donations to be made to “Healthy Waters Lac Lac Biche”, through livinglakescanada.ca/how-you-can-help/invest/

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