December 15, 1942 – October 24, 2020
Dad
is survived by his daughter Kelly, and the four grandchildren he adored Jadie,
Shae Lyn, Koda Bear , and Jackson as he called them- who all have good manners
mostly because of how important that was to their much loved Papa.
Dad
was the oldest of four siblings and is survived by his brother Bub, and sisters
Charlotte and Deed, as well as many in-laws nieces and nephews that he loved.
Predeceased
by his True Love ,his wife Jackie and his beloved son Billy, as well as his
parents Laura and Bill , and brother in law Larry.
Dad
grew up in Surrey, he recently told me about how he rode his Norton Motorcycle
to Tijuana Mexico as a teen .He met Mom in Hedley where she lived next door to
his Grandparents.
We
lived in Vancouver where he worked in saw mills and then moved to Kamloops in
1976 where he worked at Tranquille , and then managed a group home in Iqaluit, when
they returned to Kamloops he was a residence worker for Thompson. He had many
people that he met through work who respected and cared about him , your kind
words have meant so much. It was hard for him to reach out but that was no
reflection on how he felt about people.
Dad
was a talented musician playing the accordion at a young age, as well as the
organ and guitar -and the piano very well to my surprise .I found this out when
he sat down at an outside piano on the streets of downtown Kamloops a few years
ago , and played while we were going to an appointment. I remember that day so
fondly because he was so lighthearted.
Life
after losing his wife and then son was very difficult for Dad . He had a hard
time finding peace .
It
was a privilege to be his daughter ,I was so proud of who he was. A good man
who knew adversity and how to make you feel better on your worst day. I watched
while he called a homeless man to his truck to give him a pack of cigarettes
and 20 dollars saying “ have a good day Guy”. That’s who he was. His
grandaughter Shae pointed out : “He had an intuitive read on people, he didn’t
realize the impact his quiet wisdom had on the people around him.”
He
was cool, and if you weren’t in his opinion you probably knew it. He was a
badass till the end, telling it like it was, living life on his terms. I called
him my favourite Senior Delinquent and he was proud of that because he knew it
was true.
Rest
Easy Pops ,we will never stop missing you.
Thank
you to Dr. Newmarch for the care over the years and Dr.Jiao, Dr.Lee, and Dr.
Morrow.
Thank
you to the staff at the Freshco pharmacy who always went above and beyond to
help .
Condolences may be
sent to the family from
www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com