Dec 2, 1979 - Oct 3, 2017
Colette Pankoff
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden and tragic loss of our beautiful daughter, sister and mother, Colette Pankoff on October 3, 2017 in Grand Forks, BC.
Colette was born in Grand Forks, BC, December 2, 1979 to parents John and Irene Pankoff. She was happy to have two younger brothers born in 1982 and 1987, Derek and Bryan Pankoff. Colette attended Hutton Elementary, and finished her Grade 12 education at Grand Forks Secondary School. Throughout her school years Colette excelled with art, writing and Russian. In grade 11 she went on a cultural adventure with her school to Russia.
After high school, Colette went onto pursue post secondary education in Kelowna for Arts. In 1998 she left for Burnaby to become a nutritionist. Colette moved to Nelson and received her certificate in professional cooking in 2001.
She worked for the Prestige Lakeside Resort in Nelson, the Sandman Inn, Selkirk College Cafeteria, and the Castleview Care Centre. Colette strived to better herself in everything she did. She was planning on going back to school in 2018 to complete her certificate in Social Work.
Colette's hobbies included snowboarding, driving her green punch buggy around town, canning, calligraphy, cooking, drawing, tubing the river, and being a mother to her three boys. She also loved to travel going to Mexico, the Cook Islands, Russia, and California.
In September of 2007 Colette married Mike McKay in the front yard of her childhood home. She was surrounded by family and friends and her Doukhobor heritage. Colette and Mike made a home in Castlegar and planned for a family.
The most significant time in her life was the birth of her three sons, Landon, Cameron and Kaydon McKay. Her boys meant the world to her and she spent her days being an amazing mother. Taking them to school, after school sports, the ski hill or the beach. Everything she did, she did for her boys.
Colette always had a smile on her face. She had an open heart and loved to spend time with her family. She will be remembered and sorely missed by her parents John and Irene Pankoff, brother Derek Pankoff (wife Jade), nephews Alexi and Dallas, Bryan Pankoff, husband Mike McKay and three sons, Landon, Cameron, and Kaydon and numerous other family members and friends.
Rest easy Colette until we meet again.