Obituary for Frank Sopracolle Jr.
Frank Sopracolle passed away at 5:45 pm on March 1, 2020 at the age of 90. Frank was born in Zell am Ziller, Tirol, Austria on March 21, 1929, the first son of Frank Sopracolle (Sr) and Anna (Hanser) Sopracolle.
The family immigrated to Canada in 1930 and homesteaded in the community of Goodsoil, and soon the family grew to a total of 9 children. In 1954 Frank married Philomena Kretz and built their family home on the original Sopracolle homestead, where they have resided ever since.
Between 1955-1968 Frank and Phil welcomed seven children into their family (Louise, Carol, Marie, Edward, Trudy, Joseph, and Linda). Unfortunately in 1982, Edward died in a vehicle accident leaving the family with only one son, Joseph. Between 1981-1999 Frank and Phil became grandparents twenty times, and since then 15 great-grandchildren have also joined the Sopracolle family. Frank was an amazing husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and friend to all who came to know him.
Over the years Frank was an ardent supporter of the community, volunteering his time and energy to ensure the community of Goodsoil would always be a great place to live.
One of Frank’s passions was education. Although he only achieved a grade 8 certificate, he believed learning never ended. Frank enjoyed reading all types of books and ensured his children valued knowledge and pursued higher education. He also believed a strong school was important to the community and served for 30 years on the local School Board, and 10 years on the larger Meadow Lake Unit Board.
Frank was very committed to the Catholic Church. Frank was a charter member of the Knights of Columbus, a long term member of the Parish Council, and served as a Eucharistic minister and Lay presider for the St. Boniface Parish.
Frank supported his family by being a mixed cattle/grain farmer. In the 60s and 70s he was involved in the Farmer’s Union, and strived to ensure the sustainability of the family farm. In the 80s and early 90s when drought and grasshoppers made farming difficult, Frank began to shape a dream of developing a golf course on the family farm. In partnership with his oldest daughter Louise and her husband Ken, and his son Joseph and his wife Mary Jean, the vision of a golf course moved to reality with the Northern Meadows Golf Course opening to the public in 1998. The course has been called the Gem of Northern Saskatchewan and has attracted thousands of people to the Goodsoil area.
The family immigrated to Canada in 1930 and homesteaded in the community of Goodsoil, and soon the family grew to a total of 9 children. In 1954 Frank married Philomena Kretz and built their family home on the original Sopracolle homestead, where they have resided ever since.
Between 1955-1968 Frank and Phil welcomed seven children into their family (Louise, Carol, Marie, Edward, Trudy, Joseph, and Linda). Unfortunately in 1982, Edward died in a vehicle accident leaving the family with only one son, Joseph. Between 1981-1999 Frank and Phil became grandparents twenty times, and since then 15 great-grandchildren have also joined the Sopracolle family. Frank was an amazing husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and friend to all who came to know him.
Over the years Frank was an ardent supporter of the community, volunteering his time and energy to ensure the community of Goodsoil would always be a great place to live.
One of Frank’s passions was education. Although he only achieved a grade 8 certificate, he believed learning never ended. Frank enjoyed reading all types of books and ensured his children valued knowledge and pursued higher education. He also believed a strong school was important to the community and served for 30 years on the local School Board, and 10 years on the larger Meadow Lake Unit Board.
Frank was very committed to the Catholic Church. Frank was a charter member of the Knights of Columbus, a long term member of the Parish Council, and served as a Eucharistic minister and Lay presider for the St. Boniface Parish.
Frank supported his family by being a mixed cattle/grain farmer. In the 60s and 70s he was involved in the Farmer’s Union, and strived to ensure the sustainability of the family farm. In the 80s and early 90s when drought and grasshoppers made farming difficult, Frank began to shape a dream of developing a golf course on the family farm. In partnership with his oldest daughter Louise and her husband Ken, and his son Joseph and his wife Mary Jean, the vision of a golf course moved to reality with the Northern Meadows Golf Course opening to the public in 1998. The course has been called the Gem of Northern Saskatchewan and has attracted thousands of people to the Goodsoil area.