With his loving wife by his side, Paul Bankonin passed away in hospital on Friday, February 4, 2022 at the age of 85. Beloved husband of Frieda (nee Kerber). Loving father of Trudy (Rob), Harvey (Kristi) and Chris (Sue). Opa of Sierra, Cruz, Braden, Cole, Alexa and Ella. Dear son of the late Waldermar and Alwine, and brother to Alex (late Marga), late Ida and late Olga (late Helmut).
Paul Bankonin was born July 15, 1936 in Goroschki, Ukraine. He was the third of four children born to Alwine and Waldermar. During the Second World War, his father was lost and assumed dead. His mother and four children fled the Ukraine to Poland, and then to East Germany. Three years later under great danger, they made their way to West Germany.
The family immigrated to Lethbridge, Alberta in 1953, and worked in the sugar beet fields. They joined a strong community at Bethany Baptist Church. While many of his family later moved to Edmonton, Paul remained in Lethbridge.
Paul met the love of his life, Frieda Kerber, in Edmonton and after a short engagement, they were married February 18,1967. While living in Lethbridge, Paul and Frieda’s family expanded with the births of their three children. Paul worked as a brick layer and stone mason. He loved sharing experiences with Frieda and their children. Summers were spent fishing at Duck Lake in Montana, while winters involved trips skiing in the mountains, swimming at Radium Hot Springs and occasional trips to Waikiki, Hawaii.
In 1990, they moved to Victoria BC, and joined the community at Central Baptist Church, where they remain members to this day. Paul and Frieda enjoyed entertaining at their house and working in their garden. Paul’s love of travel and adventure continued with trips to Israel, Germany, China and many extended family trips to Mexico.
A Memorial Service will be held in the sanctuary at Central Baptist Church, 833 Pandora Ave, Victoria, BC on Saturday, February 12th at 1 pm. Friends are invited to join in person. The service will also be available to be viewed via livestream at https://youtu.be/-BBeBPl3RNU
In lieu of flowers the family is requesting donations to Geordon and Marilyn Rendle at Youth For Christ: https://yfc.ca/donate/. From the drop down menus select:
- “Ministry of a Staff Member”
- “Geordon and Marilyn Rendle”
You may dedicate your gift in the memory of Paul Bankonin.
Condolences may be left below.
McCall Gardens
http://www.mccallgardens.com
17 Responses
Dear Frieda & Family,
In this time of loss,
May your heart feel the tender
nearness of God,
The caring love of friends,
And the cherished comfort of memories.
May God strengthen & comfort you at this very difficult time.
Frieda, our heartfelt condolences.
Paul was such a good strong man. He will forever be in our thoughts. His quiet hid his strength in character and ability.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Foy and Irene
Dear Frieda and family,
Paul is now in Heaven with the Lord he loved, but it leaves a big hollow empty spot in your hearts. Learning of Paul’s Homegoing brought back warm memories of being in your lovely home and your joining us on our wonderful trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. We will try to join you on line for the service on Saturday.
With our love and prayers,
Ernest and Myrlene Kennedy
With Sympathy
To you Frieda and family,
With deepest sympathy we pray that the Lord will fill your days with His Peace and comfort to your heart. He was a beautiful gift to you. Now he is in peace with God.
Just wanted to pass on my condolences. Paul was a great friend to our family. The fishing trips back in Lethbridge meant so much to my father.
And being able to work for your dad meant a lot to me. After all these years, he’s still as good a boss as I’ve ever had. It didn’t matter how big or small the job was, Paul always made it as close to perfect as he could. To this day, every time I see brickwork, I check the spacing, the joints, and how even the courses are! Rarely do I see any work as good as Paul’s!
I remember working with him on a 2 story drypack stone fireplace for a large new farmhouse close to High River. I had to unpack all the stones from the flats, lay them out across the entire yard, and then Paul would walk down the rows, picking out the exact size & shape he needed next. He could have finished that job in 1/2 the time it took him, but it would not have been nearly as beautiful. I learned a lot about craftsmanship from him and was always proud of the small part I played in the things he built.
Paul’s faith was a big part of his life and I hope that faith comforts your family during this time of loss.
I am so sorry for your loss Frieda. My sincere condolences. May he RIP.
Freida,
I am so very saddened to learn of the loss of your dear husband. I have always enjoyed sitting in front of you both in church and looked forward to our brief chats and a reassuring smile and handshake from Paul. May the God of all comfort surround you and your family at this difficult time and give you peace.
My deepest sympathy to you and your family.
We have enjoyed the the company of Paul, over the 30 years we have attended….he was always a willing helper with Frieda on her coffee days before the morning service. He always had a good word to share and would give me a very strong hand shake. I still remember when he cemented in our Time Capsule
at the front of our new church…he had such a big smile on his face. A willing worker. He also liked to talk about his gardens and fruit trees. Good memories.
Lorraine and I pray that God will be a comfort to Frieda and her family during this time of sorrow. It was unfortunate that we were not able to continue enjoying your fellowship over these past two years.
Deepest Sympathy, Frieda.
May God comfort you and the family in His understanding way.