JONAS, Svatopluk “Svat”

JONAS 1942 – 2024 It is with great sadness we announce the peaceful passing of SVATOPLUK “SVAT” JONAS at the age 81, after a long battle with MS.
Svat was born in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic.
Svat obtained a M.Sc. Degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Agricultural University of Prague in 1966.
He married his wife Libby a month after the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. They escaped from the country during the Christmas of 1969 and came to Canada in spring, 1970.
In 1974, he also obtained a M.Sc. Degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Alberta. He spent most of his career working for Alberta Agriculture in Lethbridge.
Svat was instrumental in a research project in which triploid grass carp were trialed as a tool for the biological control of aquatic vegetation in Alberta’s irrigation canals and ponds. By 1988, Svat became an Aquaculture Engineer designing aquaculture systems for Alberta’s fledgling fish farming industry. In 2001 Svat was the only Aquaculture Engineer in Alberta.
Svat was a founder and long-serving president of the Czechoslovak Cultural Society of Southern Alberta. He was a member of the Elks, and later on, the Army Navy & Air Force Club. He was a member of the Lethbridge Photography Club for several years. He enjoyed playing golf and skiing. He was interested in global history, but his passion was always the history of Prague. In his retirement, he loved going back to Prague for months at a time. Svat was shy and the quickest way to raise his hackles, was to ask him, “How are you?” which he never failed to answer with a wisecrack (if you were lucky).
Svat will be missed by his devoted wife Libby, only child, Leilani (née Atley), (Bonnie), granddaughter Kalili, sister, Zdenka (from Prague), niece, Barbora (Bill), and their daughters Natalya and Nina from Calgary.
There will be no formal service held. In lieu of flowers, donations to the MS Society in Svat’s name are graciously accepted.

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com