Sonia Clarke

Sonia Freda Clarke
1932 -2024
It is with deep regret and sadness that we announce that Sonia Freda Clarke, nee Mitchell has passed away in the Smithers hospital on the 27th of June, 2024 after suffering a massive stroke.  Sonia is survived by her husband, Frederick John Clarke, her daughter Nancy Bremner and family.  Surrounded by her loving husband of 72 years, her daughter Nancy, and grand daughter Whitney Bremner Sonia peacefully passed away.
Sonia was born on August 29, 1932 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and grew up in the Village of Chester where her father was the manager of the liquor store. She joined the Royal Canadian Airforce in 1951 where she met Frederick. Moving to Flin Flon in 1957 Sonia volunteered her time, while raising her young family, as a warranted Guider in the Canadian Girl Guide Association.  The family moved to Thompson, MB in 1964 where she started a long career as a working woman by joining Manitoba Hydro. She later championed the Union for equal payment for women at Hydro.  In 1969 she left hydro as they bought Waskaiowaka Fly-In Fishing Lodge and sold the lodge in 1979.  Later she founded the Women’s Business and Professional Association and the Restitution Committee for Young Offenders in Thompson and worked in Administration in both Provincial and Federal governments. She was active in Public Service Unions.  She was an outdoors person spending many hours fishing as she was an avid angler, camping in the bush, and a skilled hunter having bagged six moose in her life.
Sonia moved many times around western Canada developing skills and new careers.  Moving to Yellowknife in 1979 Sonia loved how her vegetables in her garden grew very large because of the amount of daylight.  She then owned half of Realistic Realty and started a career in selling real estate.  In another move in and around the year 2000 she was a volunteer and Director on the Upper Island/Central Coast Community Health Services Society where she won several awards for her dedicated service.  She became a real estate salesperson for ReMax Williams Lake BC.  Sonia was very active and a strong advocate for two communities; one in Manitoba and one in BC to bring clean drinking water to their residents.  Many BRAVO awards are hung in her office in recognition of her strong commitment to whatever community she lived in.                    

The past few years Sonia, with her husband Frederick had just finished writing a book about their lives entitled “The Winds of Change” “A Canadian Narrative” which will be published in the near future.
To honour Sonia’s life, your sympathy may be expressed by supporting these organizations in her name; Canadian Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Children with Cleft Palate and See Eye Dogs. 

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