Mario Pavlakovic

Vujca,
you are the very best and dearest of all the people I know.
I am so proud that you were my uncle. You were someone I looked up to and admired. You were so good and amazing in your actions and thoughts. People like you only come once in a blue moon. Thank you for your love, ideas, wishes, thoughts, and great time and attention while I was able to be blessed with your presence. No one will EVER beat you Vujca... You truly ROCK and are THE best uncle ever !!

It was a real shock to hear of Mario's passing as I had seen him in a restaurant in his office building just a few days earlier. I first met Mario in 1988 as the City Planner in New Westminster and later through the B.C. Expropriation Association. He was jovial and always ready to have a good laugh but also very focussed in his business dealings. He will be missed.

Mario,

A long time friend and business associate. This doesn't seem to say it all. Always positive and always upbeat. I will rember you.

I just learned of Mario's passing. I am greatly saddened. Mario and I met at the Yugoslav Hall, on Hastings Street, as teenagers. We played in the youth orchestra, and sometimes with the adults. We were the rythym section, he playing bugaria. and me playing bass. we had many laughs, and worked together keeping time.

i knew him in high school at Templeton, and after high school , with a group of ex-Templeton friends. I was not as involved in latter years, so I haven't seen him in awhile. I regret that I will not again see the smiling, laughing, and always intelligent Mario, who never had a mean streak.

I pass on my best wishes to his wife, children, family and friends. those of us from the high school days, will not forget mario.

fred lowther

To the Pavlakovic Family:

I offer my deepest sympathy. I worked briefly with Mario but in the short period of time found him to be very professional, sincere, articulate and trust worthy.

I have only a small sense of how important a role he played in people's lives, both professionally and for his family.

I wish you strength and peace.

Mario always made me feel like I was an important part of his life. I believe he had that impact on everyone he dealt with. He had a big life and was generous in sharing it. All those who knew Mario should keep our memory of him as a lesson on how to treat people in our daily lives. If we all try to be a little like him, the world will be a better, happier place.

Mario was an amazing and inspiring man. He influenced me to get involved with the International Right of Way Association and in the early 90's I hired Mario to teach many of the IRWA courses. He shared his knowledge to advance professionalism and for that we have respect and gratitute. He will be missed but the man, his stories and his legacy will be remembered for a long time.

Generous, Honest, Friendly, Passionate, Fair, Warm, Caring, Dedicated, Attentive & Witty are but a few words that describe this man called MARIO. He had the laughter and the HEART of a Giant for which I owe him the debt of gratitude and thanks for making me a better man. He will forever be in my thoughts and in my heart. Thank you so very much Janet for sharing your husband and friend with all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing him. To you and your family I hope that through your tremendous loss you will all be able to build strength so as to carry the torch that MARIO carried so Gracefully!!! All who have known Mr. Mario Pavlakovic can truly say that their lives have been enriched. I pray we will meet again dear friend .............

Generous, Honest, Friendly, Passionate, Fair, Warm, Caring, Dedicated, Attentive & Witty are but a few words that describe this man called MARIO. He had the laughter and the HEART of a Giant for which I owe him the debt of gratitude and thanks for making me a better man. He will forever be in my thoughts and in my heart. Thank you so very much Janet for sharing your husband and friend with all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing him. To you and your family I hope that through your tremendous loss you will all be able to build strength so as to carry the torch that MARIO carried so Gracefully!!!

Mario, from a business perspective, the mere mention of your first name invokes visions of an icon in our industry. For many years, your extensive knowledge, unwavering acceptance of the challenge, and uncanny ability to identify and employ an equitable solution has been unparalleled. Whether we sat together or opposite each other at the "table", you willingly viewed both sides of the coin and helped us all to find our way. I cannot thank you enough for your support and guidance for more than a decade.

I will miss you my friend. You will always be remembered as one of the best.

My sincerest condolences to Mario's family. May you, like me, find some small relief in these numbing days of sadness with repeating warm memories of that great big smile, that hearty laughter and that infectious passion to get things done. A wonderful man. Already sorely missed.

I have been fortunate to have worked with Mario from 1984 to 1987 and again from 1999 to 2009. He was an amazing man and a master strategist. Mario was respectful, kind and fair. No matter how busy Mario was, he always made time to meet with his team. He was a motivating mentor. He could defuse problems and suggest solutions, creative or otherwise, so easily that it made you would wonder why you thought it was a problem at all. Those who know Mario well know that he was very family oriented, generous and fun. Carrying on without Mario’s leadership and wisdom will not be easy for our properties team but we will try to think outside the box as Mario has encouraged us to do and make him proud. I will truly miss this wonderful gentleman who has been a great role model to me throughout my career in the right of way industry.
With deepest sympathy to Janet, Cara, Mila, Alan, Mario’s mum, Zdenka and Paul,

Legends live forever. Our memories of Mario will be nothing less. Rest in peace.

In many industries many influential people are recognized by their first name only, and Mario gained that respect through the years. As Ted mentioned the other day, Mario's passing has "cratered" the property acquistion industry and we will all remember him for his eloquent phrases, such as the "matter was internalized in the calcaulations". What a great man Mario was to have on your team and now he will be missed by so many, we can only think of what Mario would have done in so many circumstances. My thoughts go out to Jan and family on this tragic loss.

Ah Mario, my friend. Good bye.

Your wisdom
Your kindness
Your generosity
Your work ethics
Your enthusiasm
Your guidance
Your friendship

I thank you. My life is better because of you.

I will think of you.

I will miss you.

Until we meet again. God bless.

Dear Jan
I was so saddened to hear of Marios's passing. We never always agreed on everything but I alway respected him and admired his hard work and devotion to family and I enjoyed the times when you and the kids would visit the salon. My heart goes out to you and the kids, and to Marios mom. May time ease the pain but keep the memories of Mario vivid. I will alway remember his laugh.

I found Mario to be a Master negotiator that shared his wisdom, talent and sense of humor freely. My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends. He will be missed by many.

I have fond memories of negotiating with Mario and found him to be a tough opponent but always a fine gentleman. My deepest sympathies to Mario's family.

Ah Mario! How typical that you are gone (out the door) before we could thank you - for being a fantastic instructor; a great negotiator or just a very nice gentleman & friend. I will miss you. My condolences to your family.

Mario was a legend in his field and a mentor and role model to many. His intelligence and eloquence was a unique combination and and his debating skills were rarely matched. Whether we were on the same side, or opposite sides of the table, I always found Mario to be a very fair, respectful, and honest man. My deepest sympathies to Mario's family for their tragic and sudden loss.

Our profession has lost one of it's Founder's. Mario will most certainly be missed.

I have had the privilege to have worked with Mario on two of the most complex urban transportation projects in the lower mainland, the Millennium Line and the Canada Line. Many planners, engineers and politicians have taken credit for the success of these projects. What most people do not realize is that the biggest risk on these projects is land acquisition and the pressures to deliver on this are immense.
Mario never failed.
When I had to deliver the Canada Line property budget to the Board many questioned the numbers. For me, I had received the best advice available as the numbers had been prepared by Mario, so I had no hesitation in accepting a side bet (an expensive lunch) from one of the Board members, that the budget would be exceeded.
A few months ago I was treated to a very nice lunch!!
Mario, we will all miss your team spirit, your professionalism and your love of life even under the greatest of pressures. A big, big hole to fill!!!

My deepest sympathies to the Pavlakovic family. I have had the pleasure of knowing Mario professionally over the past five years. I have always been impressed by Mario's formidable depth of knowledge and insight into the complex business of Real Estate. Our industry will be the poorer for his passing, he will be greatly missed.

Mario was a great guy and will be missed by all of us that came to know him through one or more of the chapters in his career. I had the pleasure of working with Mario on some files, and "on the other side" on others, for some 20 years years - he was always professional, effective and courteous in either capacity, and earned the respect of all involved in the processes to which he brought his considerable skills and expertise. And there was never a dull moment when Mario was in the room!

To Mario's Family
We would like to send our condolences to you at this difficult time. We meet Mario briefly at our son's wedding and recognized what a wonderful person he was and know he will be sadly missed.

Mario:
Over the many years that I have worked with you, I have always been amazed at how you have relished taking on the most convoluted projects and always in a calm and calculated manner. I always remember what you said at my 50th birthday party -- that I take no prisoners when it comes to negotiations. I can say that you too take no prisoners, but in such an eloquent manner that your sparring partner never felt any pain. I will miss you, our small group at Omni will miss you and our industry will miss you. My respects to you and your family.

Our deepest sympathy to the Pavlakovic family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. Mario was a dear friend and we will always remember him for the great person that he was.

What a terrible loss. Mario touched so many lives. My condolences to his family.

I never had the honour of meeting Mario in person. For me, he was just the reassuring voice from Vancouver that somehow kept our Richmond project running smoothly, when it could have derailed so many times. And yet simply through telephone conversations, it was impossible not to notice Mario's wealth of knowledge and common sense approach, as well as his kindness and positivity.

His death was a shock to me. Professionally, I worry that his knowledge, skills and qualities could not be replaced by any one single person. More importantly, personally, my thoughts go out to his family and friends that will surely miss Mario's wonderful personality. Please accept my deepest condolences.

I’ve known Mario for the better part of the last ten years. There are few people who conducted themselves with as much class as he did. Despite having a depth of knowledge greater than everybody else in the room, he always saw the bigger picture, and never took unfair advantage. He treated everyone with the utmost respect and always did what he could to find the most practical solution. He will be sorely missed, I am sure, by everybody on both sides of the table.

Over the last two years, in my capacity at Scotiabank I had the unique pleasure of dealing with Mario, first as a potential business adversary, and then more importantly as a true business partner. It is my belief that Mario had an ability to instantly command respect for his knowledge but more importantly his great common sense and honesty. It is rare in my business dealings, especially in a role that can and usually is adversarial that you meet a person for whom you develop deep respect. Mario was such a person.


Mario was always about "what's fair" and "how do we get from here to there".

Finally, we will all miss Mario's eloquent vocabulary that often had you reaching for your thesaurus.

God bless.

Well mario your departure took us by surprise, we cannot replace you so warning wouldn't have helped. We all relied on you so much it will be interesting to see how we do without you. not so well as with that is for sure. I don't remember ever telling you what a grand friend you are. Thanks so much for being you, I will continue to work on the glass always being more than half full. Thanks so much to your family for sharing you and making my life better.

Through Sandra, I was able to get to know Mario for the wonderful uncle and friend he was- a smart, graceful person that never had a bad word to say about anyone. I looked forward to spending time with him at family functions- he always had something intelligent to say and a wonderful person to talk to and hang out with. There will now be a huge void- we will all miss him greatly.

Dear Mario's family,
We sincerely offer our deepest condolences at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Take care of one another.

Mate and Stefica Cacic
Jay, Katy, Amy and Brooklyn Ricker

My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Mario. I have known Mario since the late 1970's with the Ministry of Highways and Skytrain. I have many fond memories of working with Mario. He was one of those wonderful people you naturally liked and liked working with. His contribution to the projects he worked on was esential and critical...... Without property the project stopped. Mario always came through.
I will miss him greatly.
I wish his family all the very best in these difficult times.
Mike O'Connor

We have lost a real gentleman.

My uncle was an amazing person and his graciousness was evident in both his family life and professional relationships. I looked up to him as type of person I strived to be as I grew up- to be successful, respected, kind and humble. These are traits that most cannot live up to day in and day out in all aspects of life. He did. I will miss him dearly.

Janet, Cara, Mila and Alan

We are so sorry for your loss. We cherish the memories we have of Mario.
Nora and Grant Schierman

Please accept my deepest sympathies.