Miroslav Mirek Kotisa

Mirek Kotisa passed away peacefully on Monday, January 12, 2026. In his final hours, Mirek was surrounded by his loving family, his beloved wife of 45 years, Florinda Kotisa (de Azavedo); his daughter Robin, son-in-law Ben (Katz) and his two oldest grandchildren Jacob and Norah; his son Morgan, daughter-in-law Jackie (Pichette), his youngest grandchild Bowen; and his sister-in-law Joyce (de Azavedo).

Mirek was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia to his parents Ivanka and Milos Kotisa on December 8, 1951. He grew up with his younger sister, Susan (Gibson), and enjoyed playing in the Czech countryside, chasing logs on the river and filling the family beer jug at the local pub.

After his parents separated, Ivanka later married Petr Cerny, a mineralogy professor. In 1967, Petr left Czechoslovakia to pursue a sabbatical at the University of Manitoba. After the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Mirek, his mother and sister were granted permission to visit Petr in Winnipeg for a holiday visit. They packed one suitcase each and flew to Winnipeg and made the decision to stay permanently. Mirek would not return to Brno until 1993.

Mirek arrived in Winnipeg, knowing only family and speaking no English. After one year in high school he learned English from an artist and volunteer teacher with whom he became good friends. This would become a common theme throughout his life – becoming fast-friends with kindred spirits.

After high school, Mirek enrolled at the University of Manitoba where he studied statistics and became enthralled with the hippie music scene that rolled through Winnipeg where he saw upcoming young acts including Janice Joplin, the Band, and the Grateful Dead.

In 1974 he moved to a commune in Lanark County near Perth, Ontario. The group made cooperative board games and Mirek assisted the cause by tending to the garden.

After a brief time as a consultant in a corporate job that did not quite suit him, Mirek took a role as a programmer in the new information technology department and then in computer security at the University of Toronto. He exchanged a suit for jeans which became his uniform for the rest of his life. Mirek felt at home in an academic community – something he had in common with his stepfather and mother who taught at the University of Manitoba, his sister at the University of Alberta and later, his daughter, Robin, who works at the University of Toronto.

Looking to expand his artistic abilities, Mirek signed up for a pottery class. It was there, at Harbourfront, where he peered over his pottery wheel and saw the love of his life, Florinda. She was living in Pickering and teaching elementary school at the time. Every weekend she would get on the Go Train and visit Mirek in his apartment in the city. One snowy night in 1979, Mirek and Florinda walked past Bickford Park. They were enchanted by the neighbourhood, and decided to buy their first house there, on Grace Street so that they could have a garden.

Mirek loved living on Grace Street. Walking back and forth to U of T, he relished the diverse shops and restaurants along the way. Friday lunches at the El Mocambo were a favourite.

In 1980 Mirek and Florinda were married and in 1982 they welcomed their first child – a daughter Robin. In 1984 their son Morgan was born. Their family complete, Mirek and Florinda wanted more green space and bought a small farm home on two acres in Glenshee, part of Norfolk, Ontario. They spent every weekend in Glenshee before retiring, and even more time after.

In Glenshee, Mirek was able to indulge his passions. He attended monthly estate auctions and grew his collections of quilts, carpets, paintings, and furniture. He and Florinda created a beautiful garden working with the natural landscape using native species and growing all their vegetables. Mirek’s summers were filled with daily forest hikes, swims, bird watching, and gatherings with friends who would share in the bounty of his garden. He loved foraging for mushrooms, wild leeks and asparagus. Mirek liked to tell everyone that rather than eating a hundred mile diet, he subscribed to a ten mile one.

At 12 years old Morgan insisted they get a dog. So Phoebe, the golden retriever, joined the family and from then on Mirek was rarely without a dog. He discovered a love of dogs and an appreciation for local dog parks, especially after retiring in June, 2008 (on the same day as Florinda). He was happiest when walking the downtown streets and forest trails with his dogs, Phoebe, then Bentley and finally Quincy.

In 2014 Mirek’s first grandson, Jacob, was born followed by Norah in 2017 and Bowen in 2023. He loved to find funny videos or party tricks for the kids, take them on walks through the woods and find the perfect snack or drink that would make them excited.

Mirek and Florinda enjoyed entertaining family and friends. They treated many to a lovingly prepared meal, with carefully selected wine, at a perfectly set table.

A true neighbourhood ambassador, Mirek found great joy in learning about his friends and family’s interests and sharing his own with them. If you bumped into Mirek he would let you in on any one of his formidable range of interests. It could be his favourite African guitarist or classical composition, what to know about carpets and textiles, the hottest local restaurant finds, or the best gardening tip of the season. We will all miss learning from and sharing this world with him.

Mirek was honoured in a private funeral with his close family. A celebration of life will be held in Toronto in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you plant a tree or flower in his honour. If you do not share Mirek’s green thumb, we welcome donations to the Long Point Basin Land Trust—a charitable, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rich biodiversity and natural habitats of the Long Point Basin. They will use the donations made in his honour to support Mirek’s favourite winding paths.

Visit: longpointlandtrust.ca/donate

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