Obituary of Ivo Noga

Ivo Noga, P. Eng was born in Czechoslovakia on March 25, 1938, AD, and one year later Nazi Germany occupied his homeland. A strong thread of desire and love for freedom soon started to develop in him and led him all his life. That only 1% of Jews returned from concentration camps touched his life forever and he befriended some of their children and soon became a true friend of Israel. He spent the rest of his childhood and young years under a communist dictatorship enforced by the USSR. Not politically correct, he still managed to graduate as a Mining engineer, specializing in underground survey. Working in coal mines he started to understand more and more the communist dictatorship and his desire for freedom only grew.

He married Astrid Wenigerova and started to learn the French language – because of its beauty. In 1968, during the Prague Spring, he became part of the democratization movement. In August, the Soviet Armies occupied Czechoslovakia crushing the progress for freedom. By God’s hand, he was able to leave the country with his family in the quest for freedom and moved to the North strong and free, Canada-Quebec. He worked in the copper and silver mines. While in the Yukon, he realized that man is only free when he has some land to grow his food, when he owns a water well for his own thirst, and when he owns a gun to protect his freedom. So, he purchased land in Rio Grande, AB, dug a well, and got a gun. He built a house for his family of three children. On Sundays, they went to church in the morning and evening and God blessed and protected them. Ivo translated Christian books and texts into Czech. The books were then published and smuggled by the Catholic Academy of Rome to his homeland. He was teaching about God of the Bible to prisoners in GP Juvenile Prison, supported the Pro-Life movement, and the persecuted people all over the world.

When it started to look as if freedom would be lost in Canada, he still acted as a free man, and when the Freedom Convoy went honking on its way, Ivo knew he would die free in the North strong and free.  Ivo passed away on Monday, October 7, 2024, AD in the presence of three wonderful and loving nurses at the Hythe Continuing Care Home.

Mourning for him is Ivo’s wife of 62 years Astrid; his daughter Alexandra Noga BSc., MD, son-in-law Brad Martin BSc., MD, and their children Glynn Martin BSc. MD, and Katie Martin MTP; his son Tom I. Noga MD, daughter-in-law Michelle Noga, MD, and their children Sarah Noga BA, MSc, Gabriella Noga BA, and Andrew Noga B. Eng.; his daughter Anna Noga B.Sc., PhD Biochemistry, son-in-law Rod Schenk BMgmt, and their children Trinity Schenk RN, Gideon Schenk, and Reuben Schenk; Ivo’s best friend and brother-in-law Karel Weniger, and his daughter Alice; Ivo’s sister Alexandra Kozakova; his nephew Jan Noga MD, and his wife Jana RN.

A Funeral Service for Ivo will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Rio Grande on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 11:00 am.

Memorial donations may be made to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in Canada (PO Box 670, STN K, Toronto, ON, M4P 9Z9), or the Jewish National Fund (10220 156 St NW Suite 100, Edmonton, AB T5P 2R1).