Obituary of Harry Michael Sochan

SOCHAN, Harry Michael, 80, died June 18, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Hospice in Sarnia, Ontario. Harry was born August 8, 1938, in Carragana, Saskatchewan to Michael and Lena Sochan. He grew up in northern Saskatchewan on a farm with his three brothers Bill, John, and Jim (deceased). Through hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit, he put himself through university by cutting trees in the bush and working on the TransCanada pipeline. He graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. While at university, he was hired as a summer student by Polysar, where he met his future wife, Roxanne at a St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church picnic in Sarnia, Ontario. He married Roxanne in 1964 and together they had 4 boys: Mark, Roman, Paul and Dan. He worked at Polysar in the Engineering Maintenance Department and over the years, his work projects took him around the world, including Paris, Turkey, India, and Italy. The highlight of his travels was spending two years in Paris with his family. While working, he did evening and weekend classes to earn his Masters in Management Science from the University of Waterloo. Early in his career, Harry started a lifelong business partnership with Tony Willemsen to buy properties and renovate them, including the Sochan Wilden Cottages. Harry was very involved in his church, St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, where he served on the church council for over 40 years. After retiring from Nova Chemicals as Manager of Engineering & Construction for the Sarnia & Corunna sites, he joined various boards including the Sarnia Golf & Curling Club and the Lambton Financial Credit Union. Harry always enjoyed his handyman projects and took pride in building his house which served as the family home since 1977, and included recent projects like the multitiered deck & gazebo with a fish pond. His love of curling, golfing and travelling spanned many years. He enjoyed watching sunsets at the cottages, while eating peanuts and enjoying a nice scotch or wine. Harry was predeceased by his parents Michael and Lena, his kind and supportive in-laws, Peter and Olga Zacharia, his brother Jim, his loving wife of 49 years, Roxanne, and his daughter-in-law Mary Sue Sochan. He is survived by his loving companion Ann Lynch, brothers Bill and John, his sons Mark (Mary Ann Elliott), Roman (Kathleen), Paul (Wendy Bolf), and Dan (Krystal Smith). He is also survived by his wonderful grandchildren Nikolai, Aleksander, Kristof, Colleen, Nadia, Michael, Lydia, Natalya, Melanie and Jeremy; and Ann’s family of Kathleen & Mark Stebbins, Maggie & Chris Churchill and Andrea Lynch.

Visitation will be held at the McKenzie Blundy Funeral Home at 431 Christina St. N., Sarnia, Sunday, June 23, 2019 from 5 pm to 8 pm with Panakhyda at 7 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 24^th at 10 am at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1045 Rosedale Ave., Sarnia. Interment at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy, friends may send memorial donations to St. Joseph's Hospice, 475 Christina Street North, Sarnia, Ontario N7T 5W3, or St. George's Ukrainian Catholic Church, 1045 Rosedale Ave., Sarnia, Ontario, N7S 1Z5. Messages of condolences and memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com