Dimitri Alpatoff

I always admired Dimitri and Galina as a perfect example of family couple loving and caring of each other. I remember Dimitrie as a very intelligent and kind man with good sense of humor, very gentle manners, and very unique and interesting personality. I know it is a big loss for Galina and family and for friends, but I hope he rests in peace now and wish his soul to be saved and be with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven.
With love and sympathy, Larissa Tchernova.

Our condolences to Galina and the family.

News of Dimitri’s passing comes as a shock. When we visited last summer, Dimitri seemed well and active as he showed us the repairs and renovations of the lower floor.

He also showed us the “Family Museum” – a room dedicated to the storage and display of family photographs and memorabilia, and he explained some family history.

We are glad to have these and many other happy memories of Dimitri.

A good man and a fine friend.

“May the Kingdom of Heaven be his.”

Dear Aunt Galina and Family,
Deepest condolences. My Son, Philip was inspired to become an engineer because of Uncle Dimitri. When he was five years old he asked what his Uncle did and he told him he was an engineer and Philip said that he too wants to be an engineer. And so he is a mechanical engineer now for over five years!
Katherine Rajewski

A translation follows.

J’ai toujours eu beaucoup de considération pour mon oncle Dimitri. Bien qu’une certaine timidité le gardait parfois silencieux, son intelligence le faisait vite notre agréable complice. Que nous parlions d’un problème de flottabilité ou de vélocité pour les catamarans qu’il concevait à temps perdu, ses explications patientes étaient toujours claires, laissaient peu d’éléments dans l’ombre.

Et il en allait ainsi, quel que soit le sujet que nous abordions.

Comme l’écrit avec tant de justesse Tatiana “Dimitri had a bright and sunny disposition with a smile that could light up any room.” Il fut le rayon de soleil de ma mère (sa jeune soeur Marthe Barbant) durant leur enfance et leur vie de jeune adulte. Plus tard, il nous éclairait sur les conséquences que pouvaient avoir certaines de nos actions. Dimitri pouvait très bien être un “être de lumière” comme disent les adeptes du paranormal.

Il nous a quittés pour continuer sa route dans l’au-delà, briller avec toute sa générosité et laisser son altruisme prendre toute sa mesure.

Je suis très heureux de l’avoir connu, il restera longtemps dans nos mémoires. Avec toute ma sympathie pour ses proches et pour ses amis.

* * *

I have always had a lot of consideration for my uncle Dimitri. Although a certain shyness sometimes kept him silent, his intelligence quickly made him a pleasant accomplice. If, at random, we approached a problem of buoyancy or velocity for the catamarans he designed in lost time, his patient explanations were always clear, leaving little in the shade.

And so it was, no matter what we talked about.

As Tatiana so aptly wrote, “Dimitri had a bright and sunny disposition with a smile that could light up any room.” He was my mother’s (his younger sister Marthe Barbant) ray of sunshine during their childhood and young adult life. Later on, he enlightened us on the consequences that some of our actions could have. Dimitri may well have been a “Being-of-light” as the followers of the paranormal say.

He left us to continue on his way to the afterlife, to shine with all his generosity and to let his altruism take its full measure.

I am very happy to have known him, he will remain in our memories for a long time. With all my sympathy for his family and friends.

Michel Barbant.

Dear Galina and Family,

You must miss Dimitri greatly. He was a kind and gentle man and it is an honour to have known him.

Dear Galina and family:
Please accept our sincere condolences on the loss of Dimitri. He was a lovely man and we have wonderful memories of Dimitri from many years ago at Camosun College and the Russian connection. Dimitri was always a great help with our Russian visitors.
Maureen and Robin Applewhaite