Obituary of BASIL MICHAEL ROTOFF

BASIL MICHAEL ROTOFF May 27, 1927 – April 19, 2014 In the early morning hours of Saturday, Basil came to rest peacefully in his sleep at Victoria General Hospital. Left to cherish his memory is his wife Alina, children Elizabeth (Graham), Andrew (Debbie), grandchildren Misha, Kira, Brendonn, Isleana and Bohdan; brother Dimitri and cousin Oleksandr. Basil was born in Paris, France and later attended Russian cadet academy in Versailles, he then joined the French military before coming to Canada in 1951. Once in Canada, Basil worked as a surveyor and draftsman before marrying his wife Alina in 1956. He went on to study Civil engineering at the University of Manitoba and after a brief stint working for the City of Fort Garry went back to U of M to obtain his Master’s degree in City Planning in 1967. Basil enjoyed a 26 year career as a Professor at the U of M department of City Planning where he authored, published and presented numerous papers and participated in and chaired many professional associations. In recognition of Basil’s dedication to his profession and to the community he received a Governor General’s Jubilee Award. Throughout his life Basil had a strong devotion to his faith. He served as choir director at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection for 40 years. After studying Divinity at St. Andrew’s College he later became sub-deacon at the church. He had a very active retirement volunteering for Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO) into his 80s as an advisor in city and environmental planning travelling to many Third World Countries and Canadian First Nations. Basil’s other interests were goose hunting, gourmet cooking, science fiction, magic and telling jokes. Basil also had a great passion for preserving his ethnic roots, he travelled to Russia and Ukraine on numerous occasions to spend time with family, and to act as an advisor for a revival of cadet schools in Russia. Above all of his accomplishments, Basil’s greatest joy was his Grandchildren. Prayers will be said on Wednesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main Street. A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection, 732 Alfred Avenue. Interment to follow in Brookside Cemetery, 3001 Notre Dame Avenue.