Dave Sopha

1948 - 2021  (~ 74 years)

• Name	Dave Sopha
  Born	Between 1947 and 1948
  Gender	Male
  Honoured	Here are just a few of his medals and awards: Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal, NATO medal, Veterans Affairs Commendation, Royal Canadian Legion 150th medal, Wilfred Renner Dedication Cadet Youth Development Centre medal and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal. Knighthood of the historic Order of St. George. Also, he has received the Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow, the Kinsmen Hal Rogers Fellow and the Kiwanis Walter Zeller Fellow awards.
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-220183
  Died	16 May 2021
  Person ID	I220183	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Portraits of Honour artist Dave Sopha has died The Cambridge artist's work gained international attention when he created the Portraits of Honour mural. Portraits of Honour artist Dave Sopha lost his battle with cancer over the weekend. The Cambridge artist's work gained international attention in 2011 when he completed the Portraits of Honour mural and accompanied the oil painting on a cross-Canada tour. The 42 feet wide and 10 foot high canvas took Sopha over 10,000 hours to create and features the portraits of 158 Canadian Soldiers, Sailors and Aircrew who lost their lives in Afghanistan. In the centre of the painting, Sopha placed a white dove, symbolizing peace, love and serenity as well as the passing of the soul from earth to heaven. In a string of Facebook condolences that came following the news of his death Monday, Mayor Kathryn McGarry wrote "an incredible man, an incredible legacy. "Portraits of Honour was a labour of love & respect to our Veterans & First Responder heroes. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you, from a grateful community. His memory will live on in our hearts." The Portraits of Honour Foundation became a registered charity in the years since, raising money and awareness about the Canadian military. Sopha received the Meritorious Service Medal. (M.S.M) from the Honourable Governor General David Johnston and is the recipient of numerous other awards and honours for his work supporting military veterans. Sopha, a member of the Preston Legion and a Preston Kinsmen member for more than 30 years, had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year. "Portraits Of Honour Artist Dave Sopha Has Died". 2021. Kitchenertoday.Com. https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-news/portraits-of-honour-artist-dave-sopha-has-died-3788114?fbclid=IwAR0AmqHTe7J9ZsvZCUb_D-VqqilRCdgU7c17iKSuHw-Wnmbv-LbsnGufGqw. ____________________ Cambridge's Dave Sopha to be granted knighthood Walter Gowing writes about the latest honour for city's most famous painter by Walter Gowing, Cambridge Times ,Tuesday, September 18, 2018 A Cambridge man will become a knight in the Order of St. George. This city's famous portrait painter, Dave Sopha, will be taken into knighthood of the historic Order of St. George in Kingston on the Sept. 29. Among white tie and tails, some wearing medals, the popular Cambridge painter has become a celebrity in his own right. At an investiture service at the renowned St. George's Anglican Cathedral in downtown Kingston later this month, members of the Order of St. George will honour Sopha for his outstanding recognition of our service personnel, both military and first responders. His contribution of spending hundreds of hours of painting to complete the 158 military members who gave their lives in service in Afghanistan, and other paintings of firefighters, police and medics, are treasures for this country to appreciate. The faces of the 158 Canadians lost in Afghanistan are found in what is now the famous Portraits of Honour. This 58-foot long oil painting has been on display all across Canada, the United States and Europe. In addition to the faces on the canvas, Sopha has painted 114,485 red poppies, representing every Canadian who has lost their life in the military service of Canada since the beginning of the First World War. Grand Master of the Order of St. George, Gareth J. Green of Canada and the Americas, has stressed "the most important charitable function of the Order is contributing funds, which provides support and immediate financial resources to the families of fallen or wounded Canadian Forces personnel". Through his paintings, Sopha has raised hundreds of dollars for the families of the military, including widows and orphans. Patron of the Order of St. George is Gen. (retired) Rick Hillier, former chief of the defence staff of Canada. Vice patron of the order is Maj. Gen. (retired) Lewis MacKenzie. Dave Sopha has already been recognized for his great contributions to Canada's men and women who serve this country. Here are just a few of his medals and awards: Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal, NATO medal, Veterans Affairs Commendation, Royal Canadian Legion 150th medal, Wilfred Renner Dedication Cadet Youth Development Centre medal and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Medal. Also, he has received the Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow, the Kinsmen Hal Rogers Fellow and the Kiwanis Walter Zeller Fellow awards. Walter Gowing is a lifelong Cambridge resident, author and journalist who has been to 131 countries worldwide. "Cambridge's Dave Sopha To Be Granted Knighthood". 2021. Cambridgetimes.Ca. https://www.cambridgetimes.ca/opinion-story/8908699-cambridge-s-dave-sopha-to-be-granted-knighthood/.