Obit

Hard-working since childhood, and always mature beyond his years, he was finally ready for his first-ever beach holiday

He escaped the repression of Soviet-era Czechoslovakia, and became a paramedic saving lives on the British Columbia coast

He was drawn to farm work at an early age, and could make an ordinary herd of dairy cattle look just like a show herd

With the NHL a possibility, he trained hard, drinking protein shakes and eating pasta with meat before each game

He had two careers in mind: becoming a medical radiology technician, and being a professional dirt bike racer

He hated being indoors, and loved working the land where his family had lived since the early 19th century

His family all worked in the medical field, but he took a different road, trying music, and then video-game design

A successful businessman, he was also a man with a heart, donating houses to native reserves and money to schools

His life came into focus at a young age: he would become the owner of a summer camp, and teach kids how to water ski

Birds were his life’s passion. In a station wagon specially equipped with an antenna, he logged thousands of miles tracking them all over North America