Felix Shuster, 77, passed away peacefully in Toronto, Ontario on December 27, 2024, after a brave but short battle with cancer.

Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, Felix would remain there a few short years with his aunt and mother, before moving to Moscow, where his family was reunited. An avid learner from a young age, Felix began devouring books by age four and boasted an incredible memory that would serve him well later in life. As a student, Felix was naturally gifted and always seeking out new challenges. He was diplomatic and leveraged his studies to build persuasive and fact-based arguments among his peers and even his parents. His talents came as no surprise to his family, who felt he took after his father, a notable figure of Yiddish literature in Soviet Russia.

While studying in college, Felix developed a passion for tourism that remained with him the rest of his life. He was drawn to the wilderness and nature, spending weeks at a time hiking, kayaking, and mountain climbing. It was during this time Felix organized a Tour club that grew into the leading club in Krasnaya Presnya Moscow district. His travels took him across Russia, into the Caucasus and Carpathian mountains, across the Kola Peninsula and into Karelia, through Crimea and other historic locales across European Russia and Central Asia.

With first wife and young daughter, Janina, Felix and family left the Soviet Union for a better life in Canada.  Moving to Calgary, Alberta, in 1980, Felix easily found work with his background in
Engineering.  Here he also explored the majestic beauty of the Rocky Mountains, travelling across Alberta and British Columbia, enjoying camping, hiking and cross-country skiing adventures on his own and with friends.

Following his separation, Felix moved to Toronto and met his beloved match Raisa in 1990. Their partnership and marriage of nearly 35 years was a beautiful compliment of devoted love, friendship and mutual respect.  Each brought with them their own infectious passion for life that attracted many lifelong friends and countless adventures.

With his newly expanded family by his side – Raisa, step-daughter Laurie – Felix embarked on a career change to computer programming, where he enjoyed a long and successful career with Purolator, retiring decades later at age of 71 years.

He never lost his love for tourism – in 2004, he and Raya launched a small business called FelixTours, offering “happy voyages” to hundreds of people each year. Felix was particularly delighted in sharing stories and local legends of locales that were overlooked or less traveled. And his research skills and knowledge were unmatched. He even published several articles about his travels in various publications across Ontario.

His kind spirit lives on through his daughter Janina, his love of learning through daughter Laurie, and grandson Jude shares Felix’s knack for engineering and love of the outdoors.  His beloved wife Raisa ensures his legacy of exploration and community building will always be remembered. Numerous friends, family, colleagues and clients have acknowledged that it was Felix who inspired them to explore and appreciate the natural beauty of Canada, to camp or hike, to travel to faraway locales, but even more, to appreciate the gems that lie within our own cities, or nearby towns and villages.

Felix was a uniquely passionate man who was a friend to many and always had an interesting story to share. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. Felix is survived by his wife Raisa, daughter Janina (Daniel), grandson Jude, step-daughter Laurie, brother Boris (Isabella), mother-in-law Olga, brother-in-law Simon (Natasha) and other relatives.  He is predeceased by his father Yoseph and mother Malka.

Special thanks to the wonderful medical and nursing staff of Credit Valley Hospital (Trillium) in Mississauga for their exceptional care of Felix and our family during this difficult time.

Memorial donations may be made to Jewish National Fund 416-638-7200 Plant trees in Israel. https://www.nationaljewishmemorialwall.com/