Michael Sather, who was a two-term MLA representing Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, died on March 27.
Sather was elected in 2005, and re-elected in 2009, as a member of the BC New Democratic Party. He is described by his family and friends as an environmentalist and outdoorsman, who was zealous about farmland conservation. He was born and raised on an Alberta farm.
He had suffered from frontotemporal dementia and aphasia later in life, and died at 78, at Maple Ridge Seniors Village.
Sather had a degree in biology and a masters in psychology. Among his varied careers was working as a mental health therapist, and he self diagnosed his dementia at an early stage. An avid birder, he found he could no longer recall the species names.
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“The last few years that Michael spent in long term care were difficult, bearing witness to his slow decline,” said Annette LeBox, his wife of more than 30 years. “Yet he always recognized me and would open his arms each time I visited. Sometimes he might find the words and say ‘I love you’ or ‘amazing’ when he looked at me. Those small blessings made me happy.”
Aphasia impairs speech and language comprehension, and the ability to read and write, and is caused by brain injury. LeBox noted her husband had been severely mauled by a grizzly bear in 1975, and had also suffered a head injury in a car crash, which could have caused brain trauma that impacted his later years.
But LeBox said Sather had “an incredibly rich life,” with varied careers including fishing for salmon on the B.C. Coast, working on Alberta oil rigs, fighting wildfires, studying wildlife as a biologist, and being a wilderness tourism guide as the owner of Hummingbird Nature Tours. He worked as the constituency assistant for former MLA Bill Hartley for eight years, before seeking office himself.
In 2008, Sather took a foray into municipal politics, running for mayor of Maple Ridge against Ernie Daykin and Gordy Robson.
“He loved the community, and he worked hard for the community,” said Daykin, who prevailed in the election.
Daykin remembered Sather as a principled person. When the NDP pressured him to vote with the party on a deal to turn farmland into a commercial development, Sather refused and took the consequences – he was suspended from the party caucus for months.
“That’s one thing I really, really admired him for,” Daykin said. “Michael was a fierce advocate for agricultural land.”
His colleague in the provincial legislature, Guy Gentner of Delta North, said Sather risked his MLA pension taking the stand against his party.
“Without question, he was the most principled politician I worked with,” said Gentner.
“I love the guy. Michael stood up.”
The environment was his passion.
LeBox said she and Sather, alongside Diana Williams of the Pitt Polder Preservation Society, were the driving forces behind the preservation of Blaney Bog and Codd Wetland Regional Parks in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Williams described a man with a reserved personality, until he was defending something he cared about.
“He was not wildly demonstrative, but when he was fired up, he was passionate,” she said. “He had a lot of passion for the environment, and for his community.”
“He had strong opinions, and a strong voice,” Williams added. “He tried very hard, and had some successes.”