Robert Kenneth Markosky

Robert Kenneth Markosky passed away on April 8, 2016 in Regina. He was born in Yorkton on June 29, 1941, the third son to George and Margaret Markosky of MacNutt, SK. With his birth, Saskatchewan welcomed one of the most intelligent, kind, thoughtful, progressive, courageous, stubborn and determined citizens this province has ever known. 

Robert Markosky was predeceased by his parents George and Margaret (nee Prokopetz) Markosky, his brother Jerry, and his sister-in-law Gloria. He is survived by his loving wife and best friend, Judy Amos, his daughter Andrea (Michael) Calvin and two special grandsons, Clark and Dash Calvin of Chicago, Illinois, US. He is also survived by his brother Delmar (Adeline) Markosky of MacNutt, SK and by a host of family and friends. 

As a young man, in the early 1960s, Bob had a taste for travel and adventure. To fund his travels, he worked on the DEW line in Fort Chimo, NWT and in Inuvik for three years. Then he set out to explore Europe, living in London, vacationing in Spain, picking grapes in French vineyards, dealing with the Black Market in  Turkey, riding the trains with Polish peasants and landing a bit part in a movie about the pirate “Surcouf” on the high seas of the Mediterranean. On returning to Canada, he enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, where he met the love of his life, Judy Amos. He convocated with his Master of Arts degree in Psychology.

Bob dedicated his entire adult life as an advocate of social justice, bettering the lives of those he felt were marginalized and left on the sidelines.

Bob’s passion to advocate for the rights of patients and clients developed through his early experiences during his employment at the former Saskatchewan Hospital, Weyburn, the Moose Jaw Training School, and Churchill Park Cooperative Greenhouse in Moose Jaw.

He worked as an activist researcher for the Dept. of Social Services and Core Services Administration. He also served as the first Director of Research for the Department of Consumer Affairs where his Branch took on the food industry, among others, during a time when he and his colleagues “stirred the pot" mightily.  

A major turning point in Bob’s professional career came when he accepted an invitation to work at the Saskatchewan Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, where he said he was able to put all of his training as a researcher and program designer to “good use”.

As the first Director of the province’s Problem Gambling Program, Bob oversaw the training of counsellors, the implementation of a Problem Gambling Help Line, and the introduction of a province‑wide community education and development component to counteract the negative impact of the massive expansion of legal gambling in Saskatchewan.

Bob was a real "people person" and had a keen sense of curiosity about every aspect of life.  He loved auction sales, old garages and bicycle shops, bargaining for old cars and vans, and visiting farms, as well as hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing, cycling, swimming and snorkelling in the ocean, listening to blues and jazz, and exploring "the road less travelled". During the early 1990s, Bob realized his dream of being his own contractor to build a beautiful home of his own design for his family. In his retirement, often accompanied by his loyal friend Laurie Melit, Bob drove his `86 van to Mexico and Central America several times. He also insisted on driving himself to Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico, where he and Judy loved to holiday in the winter. Road trips to Chicago to visit daughter Andrea were also special occasions for him.