Boris William Bodnarchuk

Our family is heartbroken to share the news that William “Boris” Bodnarchuk has passed away at the age of 91 after a brief and quite unexpected illness. Boris was a loving father, grandfather, friend and consigliere who loved nothing better than family gatherings filled with joking, laughter and plenty of good food. Oh, and golf. Boris loved golf and up till quite recently could pound a ball down the fairway. Indeed, he was a bit miffed that he would not be able to defend his recent seniors golf tournament victory at his local club.

Born in Vita, Manitoba to parents Lena and Peter Bodnarchuk, Boris grew up on the family farm and later in Winnipeg. A full-blooded young man filled with the desire to get the most out of life, Boris ventured west to Banff, Alberta where he gained work as a bellhop at the King Edward Hotel. It wasn’t long before the self-proclaimed “King of the Dance Floor” met a lovely young Scottish lass by the name of Moira Maitland. Folks, this was your classic case of love-at-first-sight. They were both thoroughly smitten, eventually marrying in Vita on September 13, 1958.

Boris was definitely a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of guy. After settling in Calgary and starting a family, Boris worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. He and is wife became rather expert in penny pinching and dollar stretching. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, Boris started at the bottom at Home Provisioners and Merchants Cold Storage, companies that among many other things, specialized in the storage and distribution of quality frozen meats. We grew up well fed…barbequing and roasting quality meats of many sorts on many occasions.

Boris worked his butt off during the day while attending night school at Mount Royal College to earn his business diploma. Parlaying an innate stubbornness with an in-your-face sense of humour, the gregarious Boris rose in the ranks, eventually becoming general manager and part owner. When opportunity knocked in BC, Boris and Moira made the tough decision to pull up roots and move from Calgary to the lower mainland where Boris took on the role of Vice President at Money’s Mushrooms. Remember the tv ads with the tagline, “Money’s Mushrooms make meals marvelous”? Thank Boris for that.

Growing up, sports were always a big thing in our house. Boris loved hockey and football, and both were constantly blaring on the home tv. A passionate supporter of the Calgary Flames and Stampeders, we were rather stunned by how quickly Boris fully converted to becoming an ardent Canucks and Lions’ fan. Who could forget that Hockey Night in Canada broadcast where the camera caught a glorious closeup of Boris walking out of Rogers Arena wearing his Canucks jacket, arms hoisted joyously in the air to celebrate the home team’s playoff victory.

It’s impossible to encompass how much Boris loved life. He worked hard to enjoy every day. From annual trips to Mexico to summer days on the deck with friends and family, laughter was always a common element. A lifelong fan of Elvis, Boris and Moira made more than one pilgrimage to Las Vegas to bask in his glory. Boris read voraciously and greedily consumed films, music and British crime series. He encouraged us all to do the same. And we did.

Boris is survived by his loving wife, Moira, and their three children: Mike (Linda), Cathie (Ralph) and Jeff (Heather). Boris’s six loving grandchildren already miss him terribly: Peter, Jenny (Steve) and Liam Austin; Sam and Natasha Bodnarchuk; and Angus Bodnarchuk. Boris leaves three loving sisters: Sonja (Zenny) in Winnipeg, and Sylvia (Larry) and Patricia in Ontario. He was predeceased by his beloved sister, Elsie.

Boris was immensely proud of his Ukrainian heritage and urged us all to dig into the family tree and preserve it for the next generation. But more than anything, Boris loved and cherished Moira, his wife of 67 years. Boris was not ready to go, and fought hard to the very end. He went out listening to Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”, longing to dance with his beautiful wife one more time.

“I love you, Moira. See you in Banff”.

Our family is forever grateful for the kind, compassionate care Boris received during his short stay at Langley Memorial Hospital. Nurses Erika, Rabia and Yancey…you are angels on this Earth.