A longtime Prince George business owner who played a significant role in the creation of UNBC and the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation has died.
Myron Sambad, 87, passed away peacefully at Kelowna General Hospital on Feb. 18 with family members at his side.
Born in Montreal on Oct. 1, 1934 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Sambad was always the best-dressed kid in school thanks to his father Maximillian, a tailor.
After graduation, Sambad started his working career as a furniture upholsterer before moving into commercial electrical work with Hume and Rumble in Vancouver. In the early 1970s, he moved to Prince George where he started his own successful electrical company Sambad Electric. In 1983, he bought Bater Electric, which he operated until finally selling in 2019.
In 1991, Sambad became a founding member of the Prince George Regional Hospital Foundation, which later became the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and served as its first president. At the 25th anniversary of the foundation, he was acknowledged as a patron for his tireless work as an advocate, contributor, and fundraiser for the foundation. Sambad was also a proud founding member of the Interior University Society, the group which campaigned the provincial government to create the University of Northern B.C. (UNBC). He also served terms as president of the Prince George Construction Association, the Electrical Contractors Association and the Prince George Rotary Club.
Sambad was also a member of the Prince George Shriners, Gizeh Temple, for more than 50 years and was the longtime host of the annual Prince George Hospital telethon.
Residents are asked to make a donation to his endowment fund with the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation in his memory.
