December 6, 2018
Mikelis Grinvalds passed away peacefully at Peach Arch Hospital in White Rock, BC on December 6, 2018 at the age of 90. He was predeceased by his parents Augusts and Anna (Piepe) and brother Janis.
He was born in Ligatne, Latvia, and raised by his aunt and uncle on a farm in the Vidzeme region. In 1944, he fled Latvia and lived in a DP camp before immigrating to Canada in 1949. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1957, and worked compassionately as a social worker in California and Oregon, before moving to BC. In retirement, he revived the family farm in Latvia.
He was a loving husband and father, and kind to all he met. He is greatly missed by his wife, Mary Suzanne Patrick ("Sue") of almost 50 years, son John, daughter Holly (Nicholas Phillips) and granddaughter Carolina Phillips.
A service was held on January 18, 2019 at St. John's Vancouver Anglican Church.