ALEXANDRU “ALEX” BAKK

1954 ~ 2017

Mr. Alexandru “Alex” Bakk of Raymond, beloved husband of Mrs. Kelly Norman, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at the age of 63 years.

Alex was born on the 15th (the ides) of March, 1954 in Northern Transylvania (Romania). At the age of five, his artistic talents were noticed by his Uncle who was an artist himself. He became Alex’s first art teacher. Under his Uncle’s wings, Alex created his first real master piece, a drawing of an ordinary wooden chair, down to the smallest detail; cracks, shadows and all. Watching his Uncle draw and paint, Alex tried his hands at everything his Uncle created. From drawing in pencil, Alex advanced to color pencils, watercolours, tempera, pastels and finally oils. In his early teens, Alex enrolled in the famous College of the Arts in Baia-Mare, Romania. Here, he further improved his artistic talents in all mediums and subjects. Growing up in Romania, as a part of Hungarian minority, Alex experienced the harsh reality of persecutions against minorities. The strict censorship of the Communist regime made it impossible to find out how life was beyond the Iron Curtain, in the free world. In late September 1979, Alex took a blind chance in the un-known, escaped the Communist regime and only with the shirt on his back, fled across the border and at night swam across the Great Danube into Yugoslavia. After a long and dangerous journey, he ended up in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy where he remained for five months until he managed to immigrate to Canada. Again, from scratch, in a new country, Alex had to learn a brand new language. After a year living in Toronto, Alex was re-united with his wife and his daughter, five-years of age. In the ‘New World’, newly found friends and colleagues found his story very intriguing and kept encouraging and convincing Alex that his story needed to be told; and that is how Alex wrote and published his own Biography called “Across the Fence, across the Pond“.

Alex, with his family, moved to Alberta and settled in the small community of Claresholm where he worked in Nursing at the local Mental Health Hospital. Alex continued painting and exhibiting his art. On request, he started teaching drawing and oil painting at the local Community College.
Most of Alex’s art were left in Romania when he escaped. Some of his paintings are in private collections throughout Romania, Germany, Hungary and Canada. Alex had several group and solo exhibitions. Presently, Alex was a member of the Lethbridge Artists Club and the Claresholm Art Club. He had continued teaching in all mediums, skill levels and subject matter and also woodcarving.

Besides his loving wife Kelly, Alex is survived by his daughter Angie (Shawn) Pasemko; grandchildren Austin Alexandru Pasemko and Emma Paige Pasemko; as well as nieces, nephews and their families.

Alex was predeceased by his parents Losif and Elisabeta.

A Celebration of Alex’s Life will be held at 1:00pm on Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at the MARTIN BROTHERS RIVERVIEW CHAPEL, 610 4 Street S. Lethbridge, Alberta.

A Private Family Graveside Service was held in the Mountain View Cemetery.