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February 23, 1927 - July 29, 2019
Mabel Faminoff (nee Chernoff) was born February 23, 1927 in the Chernoff village of Khutor in Verigin, Saskatchewan. She was the third born to Annie and Peter Chernoff. Mabel's 2 older brothers moved to British Columbia in 1943, the rest of the family followed shortly after. She was 16 years old at the time.
The family bought acreage in the Almond Gardens area, living there for many years. Mabel fell in love with John Faminoff marrying him June 1, 1952. They lived for a short while in the Faminoff Community village. They then bought property and built a small house on the river in Almond Gardens. They had 2 daughters, Marie and Bernie. As a young girl Mabel worked in the fields and picked fruit in Oliver. She was one of the first girls hired as a cashier for the Grand Forks Co-op. When it closed she worked at Bartlett's hardware store and Acres Pharmacy. When she "retired" she worked at Harmony Flowers, nurturing her passion for flowers and helping her friend and neighbor Joan McLeod.
Mabel and John were lifetime members of the USCC. They sang in Youth choirs and the Senior Choir. She was a member of the USCC cooking group for many years. Mabel and John traveled once they both fully retired. They took their camper on many trips through
Canada and the USA. In 1965 they traveled to Saskatchewan to show the girls where Mabel was born and to introduce them to family. Then returned again in 1995, to commemorate the Centennial Burning of the Arms. When Bernie and her family lived in Mexico, they traveled to visit them with lifelong friends Mary and Fred Horkoff. Later, also with the Horkoff's, they stepped out of their "comfort zone," and traveled to Cuba.
When their grandchildren Erik, Maya and Zakary were born in the 1980's, Mabel's focus turned to them completely. She knit, sewed and created a multitude of unique gifts for each of them. Mabel and John spent as much time as possible with the grandchildren, being an amazing Baba and Deda.
Mabel was a wonderful cook, she showed her love by feeding people. People seldom left her home with an empty tummy and would often have a care package!
She was a very good seamstress, sewing many of the girls' clothes when they were young. Mabel croqueted without using a pattern and loved to knit.
She also was a very accomplished quilter and weaver. Creating exquisite, unique pieces that are now heirlooms in the family.
Being vegetarian all of her life, she was a wonderful gardener. Growing and preserving much of the food the family ate through the fall and winter months.
But Mabel's passion, her love, was growing flowers. She could be found unwinding at the end of a long busy day, tucked into her flower gardens.
In the late spring she would send the girls to school with handfuls of Peonies to gift their teachers! She lived a full colorful life and loved to dance and sing which was an outlet for her "expressive" side
to surface.
Mabel and John were very avid card players. They played the Russian game of "Dooruk," and other games with many friends and their grandchildren. Mabel did continued to play after John had passed.
Mabel lived in her and John's family home in Almond Gardens for 67 years. The last 23 years of this time, she lived by herself. John fell ill in 1996 and passed 2 years later.
In February of 2019, just 2 weeks shy of 92, she moved to Boundary Lodge, as living on her own and caring for the acreage was becoming increasingly difficult.
Mabel passed peacefully in Boundary hospital, July 29, 2019
She is survived by daughter Marie Germain, daughter Bernie Koftinoff, 3 grandchildren, Erik, Maya and Zakary, great grandson Ari, brother Peter Chernoff, sister Anne (Nick) Negreiff and many dear nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by parents Annie and Peter Chernoff, husband John Faminoff, brother Fred Chernoff, Sister Lynne Semenoff, two sister in laws Elizabeth and Dorothy Chernoff nephew Steve Chernoff.
We hold her in our hearts and know she is in God's loving care.


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