“Not for Olya but for Masha”, blue-eyed Bill Stoochnoff would have corrected the Russian poet if he were alive. The photo of the flower field to the left.
A few years ago he died leaving behind his wife Mary, his only lifelong love. I met the Stoochnoffs at Lundbreck Water Falls when I was 
looking around the scenery, taking pictures and enjoying the life.
“Can you possibly take a shot of both of us?” I asked one handsome couple near us. “Sure, I do.” volunteered the lady.
So we introduced to each other and always very cautious Mary invited us to her home from the first sight she saw me and John. We had a nice conversation about Russia, they were Doukhobors of 
Russian origin but born here, in Canada, and were very happy to meet someone from there. The dinner was good too, the pair showed the real hospitality to us, new acquaintances. Since then we became good friends. To the left you can see a lit candle “To the loving memory!” 
Eleven years had passed by but that moment of the first meeting with Mary and Bill had imprinted into my mind for ever and I will never forget it, as well as:
the time we spent together celebrating 2 Christmases with John at their home;
the time when John was dying and they visited him at the Hospital in Lethbridge and then at the funeral giving me all their kind support and help;
the time when Janko and me came to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary to cheer Bill up after his open heart surgery and his daughter Elena was nursing him as a baby teaching her Daddy to walk anew. Now both of them died.
Mary Stoochnoff, in her eighties, is still full of life and energy, exercising the family circle of joys: grandchildren growing, every day’s sunsets and sunrises. On November 23 is coming her Birthday. Many Happy returns on this day, Mary! This is a song for you from “Russian folk songs“
Related Articles
No user responded in this post
Leave A Reply