Tim Sookocheff

Passed away on March 3, 2021 suddenly following a brief illness. He was accompanied in his final moments by his loving wife Laura and his children Luke and Carey.  

Tim will be sorely missed by his surviving family, including his sisters Jane Britton and Kate Sookocheff, their husbands David and Mark, his grandchildren Malaïka, Harper, Edie and Léo, his son-in-law Albert, his daughter-in-law Anik, his nephews Zachary, Jeremy, Sam, and Corey, his nieces Holly and Melanie, his cousins Lynn and John as well as by the other members of the family and the many friends and colleagues whose lives were touched by his. He is predeceased by his father Sam Sookocheff, his mother Doreen Sookocheff (Mitchell) and his brother Tony Sookocheff.

Tim’s professional life was dedicated to conservation of the diverse natural beauty and heritage of Canada. During his career in Parks Canada, Tim contributed to the development of Kluane, Nahanni, Auyuittuq, and Prince Albert National Parks and to the preservation of the Exchange District in Winnipeg. He was instrumental in the preparation of legislation to transform Parks Canada into a separate agency and was involved in negotiations leading to the establishment of Wapusk and other northern parks. Tim contributed to the preservation of the Chilkoot Trail and Dawson City National Historic Site as well as to planning for the York Factory and Fort Battleford sites. Tim’s early career in Parks Canada included serving as Superintendent of Fort Walsh National Historic Site near Maple Creek, Saskatchewan. 

Prior to joining Parks Canada, as an undergraduate field assistant Tim spent the summers of 1966 to 1969 on Baffin Island conducting research on glaciology, glacial geology and geomorphology, monitoring and measuring changes in glaciers and other ice formations.  

In 1969, Tim’s curiosity and sense of adventure took him on a solo trip to Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Over the course of his life, Tim’s love of travel was shared by his wife Laura, their children and friends as they visited many places, including Kenya, New Zealand, and Peru, in addition to much of Canada and the United States.

Tim passed on to his children and grandchildren a love of reading, a passion for history and a wry sense of humour. He shared his love of the outdoors through canoe trips into parts of the Canadian wilderness that were rarely seen by others.

He was an avid curler and golfer who will be remembered fondly by friends and team mates. 

Tim was a lifelong practical joker who saw each April 1st as a fresh challenge to outwit friends and family in spite of their foreknowledge he would attempt to do so. He usually succeeded, most recently when he tricked some of his family into believing he and Laura were moving to New Zealand.

Arrangements are being made for a celebration of Tim’s life at a later date. Details and an invitation will be sent to family and friends.

Those who wish may make donations in memory of Tim to the Nature Conservancy of Canada www.natureconservancy.ca or Health Partners www.healthpartners.ca.