August 18, 1940 – July 15, 2026

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved stepmother, Dr Vesper Adams Goota at the age of 85. Vesper passed away peacefully at the Rose Garden Hospice on July 15, 2026. She is survived by her loving stepchildren Curtis and Joann Goota; step-grandchild Ryan Goota; as well as her cousins Carla Stewart and David Novak. Vesper was predeceased by her spouses Ronald Goota and Gary Adams; her father Michael Zubrack; her mother Ludwina (Navalkowsky) Zubrack; her sister Michelle (George) Georget and her sister Lesia Zubrack Romanoff.

Vesper was born on August 18, 1940 in Prince Albert after her father Michael, graduate pharmacist and Ludwina, his wife who was a teacher, moved to Prince Alberta to open Zubrack’s drugstore. Much of her early life is largely unknown to us, but Vesper entered our lives in 2003 when she met and subsequently married our dad, Ronald Goota. She had been an educator all her life holding several degrees including a PhD in Philosophy she earned from the University of Oregon after her first husband passed. Family was important to Vesper, and she was very close with her mother Ludwina often travelling together and caring for her until her passing in 2005. Vesper spent most of her life staunchly advocating for and teaching children and adults that were either gifted or had learning disabilities. She volunteered her time to help teachers and principals better understand learning disabilities, made presentations to raise public awareness, provided support and advocacy for students with learning disabilities and interceded with government and various agencies on their behalf. She had been active in the Rotary Club, the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, the Prince Albert Public School Division and the Social Sciences and Humanities research Council of Canada. Vesper valued education, gave with an open heart and committed to projects with a passion that inspired others.

After she met our dad, she started to slow down and began privately tutoring students in their home in the Davis area, consulting on various governmental boards and became a marriage commissioner in the Prince Albert area. Vesper and dad had much in common and were very active with the Sask Party as fundraisers and hosted many fundraising endeavours as well as supporting St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. During their retirement, they were most interested in politics, current events and maintaining their acreage to provide a retreat for family members that needed support as her sister Lesia Zubrack Romanoff did when her health started to deteriorate in 2013. Vesper loved animals, and after her dog passed her and Ron also opened up their home to three stray cats that were abandoned in the area and treated them like cherished family members. Although Vesper was small in stature, she had a huge, loving personality and rarely left our company without saying a very sincere ‘I love you’ and offering giant bear hugs before parting. She was deeply loved and will be missed by her family.

Internment services will be celebrated at a later date at Prince Albert Memorial Gardens. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Gray’s Funeral Chapel.

• Date : 2026-07-16
• Location : Prince Albert Saskatchewan