John (Janez, Jonk) Mravly

Born on July 31, 1930 in Brezovica, pri Ljubljani, Slovenija

Died at age 95 on December 12, 2025 in Calgary, Alberta

John was the eighth of the ten children born to Anton and Frančiška Mravlje. He had a normal childhood on the farm, helping with chores as needed even though he was not a farmer at heart. His life changed dramatically at age 11 when WWII, revolution, and foreign occupation redefined everything. The end of WWII came with new dangers, necessitating John’s flight to Austria with his brother Valentin (Tine) and sister Dragica. They lived in displaced person camps for the next four years. In 1949, the three siblings along with good friends, the Boh family, jumped at the opportunity to immigrate to Canada as farm labourers. They worked together in the Barnwell, Alberta area for four years. John’s lukewarm desire for farming did not change. One of his highlight memories of those hot days and long hours was taking a break in the shade of a large tree to play chess with another young labourer.

John graduated from St. Joseph High School in Lethbridge in 1952. When Dragica and her newly minted husband, John Fabijan, moved to Calgary, he accepted the invitation to join them rather than stay in rural Alberta. He lived with them for six years, happily babysitting the Fabijan children as needed. He found work as a coffee and mail boy at BA Oil, later bought out by Gulf Oil. John quickly worked his way up the ladder. By the time he retired at age 58, he was handling the land and drilling leases associated with all the conventional oil and gas for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories. It took several people to take over John’s workload when he left, but none had the almost photographic memory his colleagues marveled at. During his career, John spent several years at Gulf’s offices in Stettler and Edmonton, coming back to Calgary for weekends, holidays and celebrations of any kind.

John was Jonk to his family. He never married. He lived a humble, simple life. He rented a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Calgary for 52 years before his recent move to The Manor Village. A devoted brother, brother-in-law and uncle, Jonk made the trek to the Fabijan home three times a week for supper followed by sweaty games of table tennis with the kids, or playing cards with the grownups. He was not a traveller at heart but was able to return to his native Slovenija to visit and reconnect with family there.

Jonk was a faithful parishioner of St. Mary’s Cathedral, singing bass in the choir for many years. He never stopped exercising his brain. He played chess and cards, did crossword puzzles, studied atlases and watched documentaries, poured over the stats of many sports, and was an avid TV consumer of golf, curling, baseball, football, tennis, and hockey. Jonk eschewed attention. He preferred to have his birthday ignored, but put up with the celebration of Uncle’s Day, held every year in his honor on his birthday. When he found himself in situations requiring interaction, he was the master of asking leading questions, listened intently to others, and remembered details of their lives with dizzying accuracy. He had an impish grin, an endearing giggle, and a warm, welcoming presence.

Jonk was predeceased by his parents, all seven brothers, one sister, a niece, and a nephew in Slovenija, his brother-in-law John in Calgary and his nephew-in-law Ian in Leduc. He is survived by his sister Dragica, nephew and nieces Michael, Dorothy, Barbara, and Miriam (Laurie), their children Isaac, Emily (Marc), Daniel (Megan), Joel, Mikaela (Andy), Kesia, great niece Alice, and great nephews Henry and Harrison. Jonk is also mourned by sister-in-law Genovifa, as well as many nieces, nephews and families in Slovenija and the United States. He will be missed by many friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to The Mustard Seed Street Ministry  https://theseed.ca/ or to a charitable organization of your choice.

Jonk’s family wishes to thank the staff of the Sheldon Chumir Urgent Care Centre, the emergency department and unit 39 staff at the Peter Lougheed Hospital, the staff of Agape Hospice, and the paramedics for their dedicated and compassionate care over the last two weeks of his life.

A Funeral Mass will take place at St. Michael Catholic Community (800 – 85 Street SW, Calgary) on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 2:00pm Live-streaming will be available. Inurnment to follow at Saint Michael’s Columbarium. A reception will follow at The Manor Village, Signature Park (1858 Sirocco Drive SW, Calgary).  All are welcome. For those unable to attend the Funeral Mass, please feel welcome to join us via the the following link Mass Schedule - St. Michael Catholic Community

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