It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Ann Mackave, who left us peacefully and joined The Lord on June 12th, 2025. She is survived by her son Mark (Norma), grandson Cody, and brothers Nick (Lola) and Stan (Debbie).
Ann was predeceased by her husband John, sons Kim (Lori) and Len (Brenda), brother Willie (Shirley) and parents Nick and Margaret Sherstobitoff.
Ann was born Annie Sherstobitoff in 1933 in the Doukhobor settlement of Glade, BC. She was the first of four children born to hard working and proud parents Nick and Margaret (née Holoboff) Sherstobitoff. Ann grew up in a small village in tough times and access to school was very limited in her young years. These difficult conditions defined and shaped her strong, determined character, and prepared her for many significant life challenges that she would encounter.
Ann first worked as a nanny in her teens. She also worked with her family in the orchards in the Okanagan as well as in a cannery-packing house. She met her future husband John Makeiff at a Doukhobor summer music festival in Brilliant. They started dating in the early 1950s and were married in Glade on September 1st, 1956. An additional wedding was held the next day in John’s hometown of Grand Forks.
Ann moved to Copper Mountain where John was working and their first son Kim was born in 1957. The couple soon moved to Remac where her next son Len arrived in 1957, followed by son Mark in 1962. In 1969 the family moved to Powell River and would continue to raise their children in this family oriented west coast community. Ann and John relocated back closer to their Kootenay roots in 1996, moving to Thrums, and then to Castlegar in 2009.
Ann really enjoyed travelling with her husband John, family and friends. They made numerous trips to Hawaii, Mexico and Cuba over the years. They also travelled across Canada and to Alaska in their camper. For their 50th wedding anniversary, they were gifted a Caribbean cruise by their children, which was thoroughly enjoyed. Other interests Ann had included cooking, sewing, gardening, canning, salmon fishing and camping.
Ann loved her family immensely and dedicated her entire life to them. She was an incredibly great wife, mother and grandmother. She always ensured her family came first and they were always well provided for.
Ann will be deeply missed by all of her family, friends and by anyone who knew her and whose lives she touched. She was always a very kind, caring, generous and giving person. She also had sharp wit, a great sense of humour and was always quick to crack a good joke at the right time to lighten things up and make everybody laugh. She was determined, a free spirit, and loved to cook, entertain and make exceptionally tasty meals for family, friends and strangers alike. She treated everyone with respect, dignity, compassion, and always had an open door for all. She believed in Christian values and was actively involved in the Pentecostal churches in Powell River, Castlegar, and most recently, the Kinnaird Park Community Church.
The family would like to thank all family and friends who visited supported my mother in the last weeks of her life. They would also like to thank the staff at Castlewood Village for the year she spent there, as well as all of the doctors, nurses, and care aids at the Trail hospital who assisted in looking after he in her final days.
A celebration of life will be held at Kinnaird Park Community Church on Monday, September 1, at 11 am, followed by an internment of Ann’s ashes at the Shoreacres Cemetery at 2 pm.
Donations in Ann’s name and memory would be very much appreciated for heart valve replacement research for: St. Paul’s Hospital - Fund #01866691 - Transcatheter Valve Program: give.helpstpauls.com/page/AnnMackave.
