Peter Maver died peacefully, surrounded by his family at The Village in Langley, BC on June 29, 2023, at the age of 86.  Peter is survived by his sons Egon and Brian (Wendy), daughter Diane, four grandchildren, Caidyn, Makaio, Lexa and Tatjana, his sister Zalka and brother Danilo and many nieces, nephews, and their families. He is predeceased by his wife Ivanka, his parents, Matija and Frančiška and his sister Tilka

The youngest of four children, Peter was born in Neverke, Slovenia (former Yugoslavia). He endured the hardships of the second world war during his childhood, but his closeknit family carried him through this difficult time. At the tender age of 18, he left his home and family in search of new opportunities. He found his way to a refugee camp in Udine, Italy.

It was at this camp that Peter met his wife Ivanka, and they were married in Udine, Italy in 1956. In 1957 they immigrated to Canada and settled in Edmonton, Alberta.  They welcomed their son Egon in 1958, before moving to Slave Lake, Alberta to start a mink ranch.  They welcomed their daughter Diane in 1966 and that same year moved the family and the ranch to Langley, BC and eventually settled in south Aldergrove, BC. In 1971 they were blessed with their son Brian.  Peter, along with Ivanka, raised their family and worked hard to make the ranch a success.  Many in the Slovenian community will remember enjoying the Slovenian family picnics hosted at their ranch in Aldergrove.

Papa, as he was fondly called after the birth of his first grand child, enjoyed many activities.  He loved music and playing the accordion and the mandolin. He sang in the Slovenian choir and sang in the Langley chapter of the First Capital Barbershop Chorus for over 25 years. He and Ivanka spent many years traveling ‘South’ for the winter in their RV.  Papa was a regular accordion performer at the Sunday afternoon jam sessions in the RV parks. Papa also enjoyed trips with Nona to visit family in Slovenia, Australia, South America and Alberta.  Papa and Nona also tended a small vineyard and Papa enjoyed making wine and curing and smoking meat and salmon which he loved to share with family and friends.

Peter could be a tough cookie when it came to his firm beliefs and expectations and was often generous with his advice. He was also generous with time to help others and would drop everything to help one of his children or a friend in need. He had a quick wit and loved to laugh, socialize with friends, and tell stories of his youth in Slovenia.  Papa was an avid entrepreneur and looked for opportunities to make life better for his family. He loved having his family come to visit and he was often amused by the antics of the grandchildren. Papa was a character larger than life and he will be missed dearly by all who loved him.

The Funeral Mass will be held at St Joseph’s Parish at 20676 Fraser Highway, Langley, BC on July 12th.  The schedule is as follows:

Open casket viewing:                      10am – 10:45

Funeral mass                                      11am

Reception                                            12pm – 2pm

Burial                                                    2:30pm – 3:30pm

The burial will occur at Gardens of Gethsemani Catholic Cemetery at 15694 32nd Avenue, Surrey, BC.

The service will be livestreamed and available at https://www.legacystreaming.com/kearney/

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Alzheimer Society of British Columbia at https://alzheimer.ca/bc/en/take-action/donate/donate-memory-honour or Diabetes Canada at https://www.diabetes.ca/

We would sincerely like to thank The Village Langley, for the excellent care of our beloved Papa.