Nicholas Sakuta

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Nicholas “Nika” Sakuta in the early morning of Wednesday, July 10th, 2024 at the age of 63. He was surrounded by loving family and friends when he passed away peacefully at home in Sutton, Ontario, after a brief cancer illness. 

Nika was a cherished son (Victor and Marina), beloved brother (Alik), adored Papa (Jonathan and Tim), loving husband (Michelle), cousin (Alex and Paulina), uncle (Andrew and Sophia) and friend to so many. 

An Orthodox funeral service (отпевание) will be at Forrest & Taylor Funeral Home on Saturday July 13th at 2 pm, followed by a memorial luncheon at Kin Community Hall, Sutton. His final repose will occur at a later time.

He was an accomplished dancer, alpine skier, and he loved to sing. Nika was proud of his Russian-Canadian heritage, growing up in the Holy Trinity church on Henry St. in Toronto, and happily spent childhood summers making lifelong friends at Beryozki (Lake Simcoe) and ORPR Camp (Chicago). 

He graduated from North Toronto Collegiate and DeVry Technical Institute, and worked most of his career as a fire safety technician, where he forged many lasting personal and professional friendships.

Nika held a life-long passion to fix and build things. He was a master tinkerer, a true craftsman, and found joy in bringing the perfect solution to any project. He prided himself in projects that were artfully functional and built to stand the test of time.

A special devotion Nika held was for the youth camp he helped to found - Ruskoka Camp for Russian-speaking youth in Muskoka, Ontario. He spent countless days building the camp. From housing, to infrastructure, to helping build the St. Alexis Chapel on the grounds. Nika also championed a custom-built woodworking shop that now carries out a full-fledged woodworking program to grateful and eager campers who learn wood crafts and skills. 

Our family deeply thanks Kathy, Jason, Olivia and Liana for selflessly caring for Nika through his illness. 

In lieu of flowers, charitable memorial donations may be made to the “Nika’s Wood Shop Fund” at Ruskoka Camp (www.ruskoka.com), which provides woodworking programs for campers. Donate by e-transfer to alex@ruskoka.com, noting your e-mail address and “For Nika”.