Melvin Kokoski

Funeral Prayers

Tuesday, March 27th

7:00 p.m.

Foam Lake Ukrainian Catholic Church

Divine Liturgy

Wednesday, March 28th

10:00 a.m.

Foam Lake Ukrainian Catholic Church

In the early morning hours on Thursday, March 22, 2018, Melvin Garry Kokoski passed away into eternal rest after suffering a heart attack at home in Saskatoon.
Melvin was born to George and Elizabeth (Mucha) Kokoski on May 11, 1945. He was the eldest of six children. He grew up on a farm in the Horse Lake District, attending Horse Lake School.
In the early 1960s, Melvin worked in Regina at a cement plant for a couple of years, then worked for his Uncle Bill Kokoski operating a Cat clearing land for farmers. In 1963, he moved to Calgary, where Melvin worked in construction. He received his Red Seal Journeyman Plumbers at SAIT in 1969.
He married his love, Lorraine Fanthom, on February 12, 1966. They have three children: Garrett, born in 1966, Tracey in 1968, and Kyle in 1971.
In 1973, Melvin and Lorraine decided to move back to the family farm in the Horse Lake District, where they farmed and raised purebred cattle along with Melvin’s parents and brother Nestor.  Along with farming, Melvin managed his own plumbing business, “Mel’s Plumbing & Heating,” in Foam Lake. In 1984, they moved off the farm to Yorkton, continuing the plumbing business. When the children completed their schooling, Melvin and Lorraine moved to Saskatoon in the early 1990s while the kids attended university. Melvin continued to work in his trade at numerous locations, including the Husky Upgrader at Lloydminster, Weyerhauser in Prince Albert and in northern Saskatchewan and Alberta under Local Union 179.  He received his Journeyman Steamfitter ticket in 1993 while Lorraine remained in Saskatoon.
Melvin retired in 2002. He loved being with his children and grandsons, Ryan and Craig, watching them play hockey, gymnastics and soccer, teaching them how to fish and hunt. He loved to watch football (he did play with the Calgary Colts), hockey, horseshoes, hunting and fishing, and playing card games! He loved his family immensely, often phoning nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters and his mother, always teasing her! Melvin cared about young people and to this day many of his children’s friends call and visit regularly. He will be missed! Family get-togethers were very, very important to Melvin.
His favourite pastimes include picture taking of nature, animals, birds and collecting unusual rocks with the hope of finding a treasure, perhaps a jade stone, or maybe a precious stone that was valuable. Most of this was acquired while at the hunting shack, his oasis away from city life. Nature and its beauty were truly the gifts Melvin valued and cherished. Oh he will be missed by all of us...
Melvin was predeceased by his father George, infant sister Patricia, mother-in-law Hazel Fanthom, father-in-law Alfred Fanthom of Calgary, aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife Lorraine; son Garrett; daughter Tracey (Blair) Torgerson; son Kyle; special grandsons, Ryan Torgerson and Craig Torgerson, all of Saskatoon;  mother Elizabeth Kokoski; Delores (Timothy) Hodge of Cloverdale, B.C.; Nestor (Christine) Kokoski; Kelly Kokoski (Rob Blight); Kevin (Quincy) Kokoski of McDowall, Sask.; sister-in-law Marie (Grant Winter) of Strathmore, Alta.; and many cherished nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins ... and also “Jasper.”