Shakespeare quoted that infamous speech by Marc Anthony, delivered in Rome to commemorate Caesar. Shakespeare will forgive me for the improvements that I make and say:

“….Friends, Doukhobors, I have come to bury Dergousoff and to praise him for what I have witnessed that he has achieved in the short time that I have been associated with him…”

I do not need to express the role that Peter played in raising and supporting his family………his family is testament and will do just that.

All of you here have known that Peter was a modest person and perhaps lived the instructions provided in the Doukhobor psalm Be Devout. I do not need to extol on his honesty and commitment to everything that he would undertake until satisfactory completion was attained.

As soon as he took membership in the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Cooperative, he volunteered for an active role in the organization and served on the Building Committee. His personal experience in all types of construction became an asset in his conduct as a committee member and then as a Chair. There was many difficult times when his calm and cool character was able to settle disputes with contractors and members alike.

I was especially impressed when the Housing General Contractor came to us with claims that the KCSHC disputed. Peter, as Building Committee Chair led the challenge and was able to mitigate the exposure to the members. Yes, I was impressed as I had witnessed similar confrontations in my construction career that ended in legal offices.

Although Peter and Dorothy had chosen a Bungalow, in the end, they were unable to continue through to construction which was a disappointment to the Dergousoffs as well as the cooperative, but their continued commitment to the principle and ideal of a cooperative remained with their unwavering volunteerism right through the project to this day.

Since the Doukhobor Cultural Association were the Founding organization of the KCSHC with an initial grant and that all the DCA were members, it seemed like a natural act for the Dergousoffs to become members. Very quickly, both Dergousoffs became very involved in the activities of the DCA which included:

• Administration of Rosewood Manor (a ten (10} unit seniors project in Castlegar)
• Whatshan Lake Retreat

Peter undertook the job of reviewing all the Minute Books for the 40 year life of the DCA to compile a list of all the donations that this organization had contributed. The DCA celebrated its 40th anniversary at Whatshan and Peter was able to surprise all with the list of recipients and the amounts.

It became obvious that the membership in the DCA was aging and that a plan had to be created as to how the substantial assets should be distributed as this was a not-for-profit organization. I had the privilege to serve on a committee with Peter to research the alternatives and make a recommendation to the membership. Part of the process was to convince the members that they were in fact aging as well as the fact that no member may receive any financial benefit. This took meetings and again I watched as Peter was able to use his natural aura and character to respond to all questions and support the findings that our committee was able to generate.

In the end the following was the results:

1. Rosewood Manor had paid out all the mortgages and after 25 years of care-taking was returned to B.C. Housing and operates under their auspices
2. The entire Whatshan assets, situate on a 204 acre parcel of land together with a separate 5 acre parcel was donated to the charitable society, Doukhobor Heritage Retreat Society #1999
3. The cash assets that the DCA held were recommended to be distributed to a number of deserving organizations. These assets have been already expended with direction provided for some assets still to be completed
4. Yes, Peter’s pet project was to build a Banya at Whatshan and the funding still remains in a trust fund for that purpose. Who knows, it just may be called the Peter Dergousoff Banya.
5. I purposely do not quote financial figures here, in respect to Peter whose modesty and Doukhobor belief would feel that unnecessary. The action is all that needs to be recorded.

Up to the last few meetings. Peter continued to recommend to the DCA membership that spiritual themes should be continued by the remaining members even though the formal organization has ceased to operate.

I now turn to Peter’s participation in the Doukhobor Heritage Retreat Society #1999. They say that “birds of feather, flock together” and so by association the Dergousoffs became members of this charitable not-for-profit Society, It was not long before Peter became a Director and took the responsibility for Maintenance and working with the Retreat Managers.

Again, Peter took his position very seriously and immersed himself in being part of a solution and never participating in the negative act of being a problem. Let me give you a list of those events that took Peter’s attention and time:

1. His Maintenance Committee consisted of the Retreat Managers and Peter and so the first act was to make a list of what needed to improve Whatshan.
a. The deck behind the Retreat was a maintenance issue and so he had it immediately demolished
i. He structurally filled the area forming a much larger space
ii. He had it landscaped and irrigated
iii. During this time there were limited volunteers on site but Peter had both Caretakers working full time with him
iv. The result was a tremendous improvement
b. The Retreat windows were salvaged single panes from the renovated Stanley Humphries High School and were a major heat loss
i. Peter was able to purchase the new windows wholesale
ii. He convinced his family to help him install them
iii. The results are there to behold
c. Showers in the Retreat needed to be renovated to coin-operation
i. Mainstream Mechanical installed the mechanical
ii. Peter and the Retreat Managers installed the Electrical
d. The Retreat Lighting needed to be updated with energy efficient lights
i. Peter and the Retreat Managers achieved this
e. The patio areas behind Cabins 1 through 5 inclusive were constructed with an unsafe drop off
i. Peter backfilled the entire area
ii. Installed sod and irrigation with the Managers and some volunteers
f. Florence Markin donated the playground Equipment
i. Peter decided that volunteers could install it
ii. Yes it was Peter and the Caretakers again and some new volunteers that he was able to find:
1. The Parquor Group from Nakusp send several groups of their students were encouraged to come out
2. The Engineer Dan Sahlstrom was recruited
3. Some members of the Executive come out
2. He became involved in the needs of Freedom Quest (a Youth Drug & Alcohol Treatment Group)who is sponsored by the society and assisted them in improving their Ropes Course across Whatshan River
a. He brought his small excavator to assist
b. He moved prepared ground trail material unto the site
c. He was involved in restoring the bridge across the river
3. Some plans that Peter did not get to complete and leaves with us are:
a. Log bridge across Whatshan River to access the Ropes Course
b. A network of walking trails
c. The Banya that I mentionned before
d. Building Picnic Tables
i. He was able to get the materials to site
ii. We organized a group of volunteers and had them constructed

If I have described a fantastic individual in Peter and his demonstrated volunteerism and contribution to society, I forgot to mention that during the same time that Peter did all this he also:

1. Was a devoted family man
2. Worked for a living
3. Had a Gold claim and worked it when he could

It is on this Gold Claim that I will end this as Peter and I talked about it many times. He confessed that he was spending too much time at Whatshan and not enough on his Claim. I wonder now whether his definition of “Striking it Rich” was already done with his association with people and what he did with them.

No I am not really praising Peter Dergousoff after all. I am only sharing my experience with a man that I really respect and will remember.

Just for the record, Peter and I shared some social experiences that will stay with us.

Elmer and Marilyn Verigin

Written as a tribute to Peter on the occasion of his Funeral, October 03, 2015, draughted and dated October 01, 2015, by Elmer Verigin
1. Peter and Dorothy Dergousoff became members of the Kootenay Columbia Seniors Housing Cooperative in September, 2005. Both Peter and Dorothy served in various capacities in the KCSHC
2. They then served as a members and in various executive capacities of the Doukhobor Cultural Society
3. This followed soon with membership and similar executive capacities in the Doukhobor Heritage Retreat Society #1999
4. Peter died September 01, 2015
This presentatioin took place at his funeral in Grand Forks, B.C., October 03, 2015