Pradeep Silas Was a Person of Wisdom and Compassion
by Lee Hunt
The October 20, 2025, passing of Pradeep Silas has been a major blow to his co-workers and customers at the Brentwood Co-op.
Pradeep began working at the Co-op in 1978 (that is not a typo) when he was a student at Sir Winston Churchill High School where he captained the soccer team. He continued working at Co-op while attending Mount Royal and the U of C where he attained his BA in Psychology. Following his formal schooling, Pradeep worked part-time at Co-op and part-time for the City of Calgary Utilities, Accenture, and the Mennonite Mutual Insurance Co. But his heart eventually took him back full time to the Brentwood Co-op.
At Co-op, Pradeep’s official title was Customer Service Cashier in Charge of File Maintenance. He carried out those duties well but excelled at his “unofficial” roles as greeter in chief, listener, and punster. Those friendly greetings were mentioned by co-workers Adrift and Tyler, while Shawn and Kim spoke of “really good morning talks” and Pradeep’s being “a great teacher always giving advice and wisdom”. Colleagues Steve, Brad, and Dave referred to Pradeep’s marvellous sense of humour and his great smile. As Steve put it, “I don’t think that I ever saw Pradeep angry or in a bad mood”. Sue, who worked with Pradeep for 34 years misses their personal talks and his good morning ‘Sue Baby hug’.
Store manager, Anthony, praised Pradeep’s compassion and “ability to make people feel valued and appreciated”. Pradeep was “a cornerstone of our customer service”. In fact, Anthony recalls one day when a customer said to him, “Oh, Pradeep isn’t working today – okay I’ll shop on a different day then”.
Pradeep’s caring and good humour also extended to Co-op customers. This was demonstrated by the praise, sorrow, and gratitude expressed by customers who signed the Tribute Book made available at the store. And for Pradeep it wasn’t a matter of simply greeting customers. I was told of two instances when customers had forgotten their wallets at home, so Pradeep paid for their groceries “without hesitation… with no expectation of being paid back”. (Though he was!) Shoppers Paul and Juliette told me that, “We started missing Pradeep the minute we heard the news… he was kind and considerate to his core and you saw it on his face and in his eyes”.
I myself recall having many conversations with Pradeep – always unselfish, he would ask for details about whatever project I was currently working on. I wish now that I had asked Pradeep more about his own life. I would have learned how dedicated he was to this family, his friends, and his church. These aspects of his life were lovingly reflected in the eulogies given at Pradeep’s Memorial Service which was attended by more than 400 people.
Pradeep’s absence will be deeply felt by so many. As co-worker Kim expressed it, “We will miss his friendship, his wisdom and advice. He was the ‘glue’ which held us all together.”
My grateful thanks to Pradeep’s sister Sujatha and brother Ajit for their kind assistance in preparing this article.
On behalf of Bugle readers and Co-op shoppers, our thoughts go out to Pradeep’s nuclear family, friends, and Co-op family. May we follow in his lead as cited at his Memorial Service in these words from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate”.
Mary Makuk Was a Real Trooper
by Lee Hunt
Long-time Brentwood resident, Mary Makuk, passed away on November 12 at age 101.
Mary was always a humble, hardworking person with a no-nonsense approach.
She and her husband Steve (who predeceased Mary in 2022) moved to Brentwood in 1971. Here they raised their three children – John, Maureen, and Patrick. Both Mary and Steve were great travellers. When the children were young, holidays were primarily in Canada and the U.S., but once the children had left home, Mary and Steve pursued international travels which included Europe, China, Israel, South America, Hawaii, and Australia.
In addition to travel, the Makuks loved to dance – especially the waltz. In fact, they first met at a dance.
In later years, despite the challenges of vision loss and reduced hearing, Mary carried on. When I last visited her, Mary told me of having so much enjoyed a recent restaurant outing with a number of her grandchildren.
In Mary’s funeral write up, the family commented that, “Most recently mom became proficient at using a Home Pod to determine the time, weather, and news. In her final days in the hospital it amused everyone to hear our 101-year-old mother call out loudly, ‘Siri, get me a nurse’ or ‘Siri, get me water’.”
Indeed, Mary was a real trooper – a woman of humility and determination. She will be greatly missed.
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