Life-long peace activist, teacher and COPE campaign volunteer Sam Fillipoff died on July 22 at Vancouver General Hospital after a brief battle with an incurable neurological disease.
Sam was born in 1945 in the Slocan Valley of a Doukohobor family who immigrated to Canada to escape persecution in Czarist Russia for their Tolstoyan traditions of pacificism, nonviolence and communal living. Raised on the family farm, Sam rejected the idea of war and violence and truly lived by the words "Thou shalt not kill."
Sam earned a teacher's degree and for many years taught in inner city Vancouver schools including Grandview School where he focused on the needs of First Nations children. He took his students on educational trips up the BC coast to learn about their heritage and ancestors, and helped create the Grandview community garden project so that children in East Vancouver could learn about sustainability in the urban environment, and have a safe sanctuary for so many who were exposed to abuse and violence. Sam also worked at the BC Teachers Federation where he was the race relations coordinator producing educational material and raising awareness on the need to prevent racism.
Shortly after the COPE majority was elected to City Council in 2002, Sam was invited to join the city's newly formed Peace and Justice Committee where he was a key organizer of the 2006 World Peace Forum. One of the events Sam helped organize as a kick-off for the Peace Forum was the Acts of Transformation: From War Toys to Peace Art where children participated in workshops creating art work made from war toys and violent video games.
Sam is survived by his wife and two daughters, his mother and two sisters.
A celebration of Sam Fillipoff's life will be held at 6:30 pm on Thurs, July 31 at the UBC Longhouse at 1985 West Mall, University of BC.
Donations can be made to Promoting a Culture of Peace for Children Society of BC, 2266 W 14 Ave, Vancouver V6K 2W1.
(COPE Newsletter)
Sam was born in 1945 in the Slocan Valley of a Doukohobor family who immigrated to Canada to escape persecution in Czarist Russia for their Tolstoyan traditions of pacificism, nonviolence and communal living. Raised on the family farm, Sam rejected the idea of war and violence and truly lived by the words "Thou shalt not kill."
Sam earned a teacher's degree and for many years taught in inner city Vancouver schools including Grandview School where he focused on the needs of First Nations children. He took his students on educational trips up the BC coast to learn about their heritage and ancestors, and helped create the Grandview community garden project so that children in East Vancouver could learn about sustainability in the urban environment, and have a safe sanctuary for so many who were exposed to abuse and violence. Sam also worked at the BC Teachers Federation where he was the race relations coordinator producing educational material and raising awareness on the need to prevent racism.
Shortly after the COPE majority was elected to City Council in 2002, Sam was invited to join the city's newly formed Peace and Justice Committee where he was a key organizer of the 2006 World Peace Forum. One of the events Sam helped organize as a kick-off for the Peace Forum was the Acts of Transformation: From War Toys to Peace Art where children participated in workshops creating art work made from war toys and violent video games.
Sam is survived by his wife and two daughters, his mother and two sisters.
A celebration of Sam Fillipoff's life will be held at 6:30 pm on Thurs, July 31 at the UBC Longhouse at 1985 West Mall, University of BC.
Donations can be made to Promoting a Culture of Peace for Children Society of BC, 2266 W 14 Ave, Vancouver V6K 2W1.
(COPE Newsletter)
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