Cyrus Lister remembered

Long-time UFCW Canada Local 832 staff member and activist Cyrus Lister is being remembered in Manitoba and throughout Canada for his many contributions to the union and the community. He succumbed to breast cancer on November 5, aged 55.

“Cyrus was a great example of how an activist can really make a difference,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley.

“As a union representative for more than 20 years and executive assistant to the local union president, Cyrus helped people and made friends throughout the province. And as an administrative committee member of the UFCW Canada National Defence Fund, his commitment to doing the right thing became a truly national effort.”

Born Koorosh Mirfakhraii in Zahedan, Iran, Cyrus came to Canada in 1973 to further his education. At the University of Winnipeg, he met and married Patricia Lister. Together they raised three children. He lived and worked in northern Manitoba as a union representative early in his career before returning to Winnipeg where he spent most of his life.

In addition to his main duties, Cyrus sat on numerous committees and pension trustee boards, and volunteered with the Manitoba Soccer and Basketball Referees’ associations, serving as a referee, president, and a mentor to young referees.

"Cyrus could make anyone laugh and would brighten a room under the most stressful situations," says UFCW Canada Local 832 President Robert Ziegler. "It didn't matter where you were, if someone found out you were from Local 832, they always asked about Cyrus. He was friends with everyone," says Ziegler.

“Cyrus had the unique ability to get along with just about anybody, which stood him in good stead with Local 832’s diverse membership,” says Manitoba Federation of Labour President Darlene Dziewit, with whom he worked at Local 832.

“He made many friends across the country, and they will miss him.”