By Dave Werlin

When over three hundred and fifty people gathered for a memorial to note the passing of Walter Doskoch and to celebrate his life, it was no ordinary event. And that’s as it should be. Walter was not an ordinary sort of guy.

No wonder then that his memorial started with a traditional Ukrainian song by Paul Greene, "There is a Lonely Grave in the Field" and then went on to include Joe Hill and Solidarity Forever.

Members of his family spoke of his dedication to them. Unionists spoke of his dedication to his union and his passion for organizing. Members of the Chilean community spoke of his help and support when they arrived in Edmonton after the military coup in 1973 drove them from their homeland.

But unlike any ordinary memorial -- Walter, having been a one-of-a-kind sort of character -- the crowd at his memorial laughed and applauded as the stories of his humorous and sometimes zany way of doing things unfolded.

Sadness at his passing, yes. But laughter, good camaraderie and songs of organizing and solidarity too. I believe Walter would have wanted it that way.

Walter was just fourteen years old when he suddenly became the "man of the house" when his father died. His father, Bill, immigrated from the Ukraine in 1905. He worked in the Nanaimo coalfields until they closed in 1915. He then moved to Vancouver in search of work but with the First World War under way and Europe in turmoil, he was declared an enemy agent, arrested by the RCMP and taken to a concentration camp at Moresey, BC.

It was the memory of his father whom he idolized and his struggles at such an early age as the head of his family that radicalized Walter. He became a socialist early in his life and went on to organize, first as an organizer for the Teamsters and then, after becoming a journeyman plumber and pipefitter, as an organizer and lifelong dedicated member of United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 488.

One of the organizing feats for which he will long be remembered was spearheading an ad hoc group of activists known as "The Dandelions". Alberta labour laws had allowed construction companies to order a 24-hour lockout as a tool to de-unionize construction. The Dandelions mobilized mass demonstrations at the provincial legislature, construction sites, picket lines and anywhere else that working people were in struggle. The name Dandelion was chosen because, as Walter often stated, you can mow them down, pull them out by the roots or trample them, but they will always be there.

Walter didn’t limit his efforts to trade unionism. He was also a passionate crusader for human rights and international solidarity. Along with his wife Eva, an activist in her own right, he was an active member of the Canada Cuban Friendship Society. He also worked tirelessly in support of the Chilean refugees who came in great numbers to Edmonton after the 1973 military coup led by Augusto Pinochette drove them from their homeland.

Even though he had been officially retired for a number of years, Walter kept active in union and solidarity work. He was an active member of the Alberta Labour History Institute formed to develop a history of the working people of Alberta. Fortunately, just weeks before he died, the Institute interviewed Walter to get his story included in that history.

The labour and people’s movements have lost a great friend, an organizer, an educator and an agitator. We shall all miss his story telling, his humour and his love for arguments. Though diminished by his passing, the world remains a better place because of him.