Basil Proskiw

“The Bazz” has gone to the big fishing hole in the sky. The family of Basil Proskiw are profoundly sad to announce his sudden and unexpected passing on Oct 10, 2022, at the age of 86. Basil was previously deceased by the love of his life, Alice Proskiw in June of 2017. He is survived by 4 children, Lisa Fadi (Ken), Leslie Smith (Barry), Rhonda Van Lent (Bill), and Ben Proskiw (Bev). He was the proud grandfather of Reanna (Jerome), Calli, Nikki, Kirsten, Alli (Andrew), Nolan (Kiera), Jacey (Nick), Vicki, Jill (Ryan) and Jadine (Andrew) as well as 15 great grandchildren whom he adored. Also left to mourn are his sisters Mary, Lena and Helen as well as numerous nephews and nieces. He was the last of the brothers from the family. Gone before him were his brothers John, Steve, Joe, Alec, and his sister Emily.

Born in Delph Alberta in 1936, Basil grew up in a large hard working farming family in Warspite Alberta. Out of necessity, school was often secondary to getting the crops in. At 16 he left home and soon found himself in Jasper and employed by the CNR as a conductor on the freight trains. It was here that he met Alice and they married and settled down to raise their family.

The years in Jasper were rich with great community involvement, volunteering, friends, and activity. They were fun years. Basil was a star pitcher for the Jasper Panthers baseball team. Many an hour were spent on the links at the Jasper Park Lodge golf course. He was a scratch golfer both right and left-handed. As the kids got older, he coached minor hockey and was instrumental in bringing the Junior B Jasper Mountaineers team to life where he had stints as both coach and manager. It was at a late-night practice for the Mountaineers that Basil’s fast thinking and brave actions helped save the life of a player with a punctured jugular vein. For this he received an Alberta Life Saving Award Certificate of Merit.

Long- time residents of Jasper might remember the Kolbassa Capers, a fun skiing event at Marmot Basin. The idea was born at the kitchen table and started as a fun day on the slopes with friends and then back to the house for a party. It became an annual event and even included a performance by the world renowned Ukrainian Shumka Dancers.

1978 saw the Proskiw family move to Kamloops where Basil transferred with CNR. While it was hard to leave their many friends in Jasper, they saw it as an opportunity for the four kids to live at home while attending Cariboo College. In 1991 Basil took the freedom 55 route. They sold the house in Kamloops, bought a beautiful lot on the lake in Chase BC at the Chabelos RV Park to spend the summers, and had a home on the golf course in Sun City Arizona where they wintered. They both enjoyed a wonderfully fulfilling retirement spent with their many friends and family that would come to visit and those that they met along the way. His days were filled with golf and fishing and some of his best times were the fishing trips he arranged for others to enjoy in Bella Coola.

A few years after Alice passed, he moved to Kelowna to be closer to family. He truly enjoyed watching the great grandkids grow. His last months were spent at Orchard Gardens independent living facility, and they were some of the best months he had since Alice passed.

“The Bazz” was often described as “a character”. He wasn’t a saint by any stretch, but he had a good, warm, generous heart and a wonderful sense of humour. He loved meeting people and would often drag home total strangers for Alice to feed. He loved his family and gave his children firm guidance which helped them to become independent hard-working citizens. They in turn have done the same with their kids which made him very proud. He will be sorely missed.

At his request there will be no service and the family will hold a private function to honour him at a later date.