June 21, 1931 – December 16, 2018

Gwen Newman; wonderful daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, Auntie and friend, passed away in the arms of her loving cousin Gail Austin early on the morning of Sunday, December 16^th, 2018. Gwen had struggled to be well enough to attend her beloved brother’s (Victor Newman) funeral on Saturday afternoon.  She did in fact see and hear the funeral through the magic of technology from her hospice bed at Trinity Care Center.  As the funeral finished, her health declined rapidly.  Throughout the day, Gwen was visited by many loving family members.

Born to Norman and Tula Newman, Gwen was a free spirit who grew up loving animals, especially her horses and dogs.  She was devoted to her three brothers, Victor (Winnie), Melvin (Sybil) and Darrel.  After Vic married, she travelled extensively throughout the western states and north to the Arctic Circle with Melvin and Darrel.  They were then and have always been incredibly close to one another.

As a child, Gwen rode her horse to Brocklehurst Elementary School and came home to work in the family orchard or pull weeds at the family’s ‘Rain-a-Day’ farm located on the property where NorKam Sr. Secondary is today.

After completing High School, she worked as a bookkeeper for Parkinson’s Building Supply and later for her family’s company, “Newman & Sons”.  Although she never married, Gwen loved children and was a wonderful Auntie to Vicci (Tony), Bobby (Cathy) and Michael (Dionne) Newman. Read More & Leave Condolences »

August 2, 1977 – December 15, 2018

With deepest regrets, we announce the unexpected passing of Ryan Edward Jackson of Kamloops, BC. Ryan is survived by his partner and best friend, Deanna McLeod, his parents, Ed and Charlotte, his sisters, Amber (Mike) Hewitt, and Jennifer (Jurgeon) Jameson and his nieces and nephews (Parker, Ashton, Deirdre, Madeleine, Eric and Mike) and many cousins.

Ryan was proud to be a Boilermaker like his Dad and will always be remembered for his boisterous laugh and heart of gold. He will be deeply missed.

There will be no funeral service but interment of his ashes will be in the Spring at the family plot in Sorrento.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the local SPCA in memory of Ryan as he was an animal lover.

It is with great sadness that the family of Richard “Rick” Stephan announces his passing on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at the age of 68. He is survived by his daughter Samantha, ex-wife/friend Glenda, sisters Janice and Judy, sister-in-law Jane, and brother Larry. Predeceased by his brother Jeff.  Rick was an avid softball player with the Sun Peaks team and won gold in the senior games in Kamloops. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Canadian Heart Society or the Canadian Cancer Society.

                                                  He will be deeply missed.

Al Johnson was born on Bible Hill, Nova Scotia in 1933. Despite the promising home town name, pretty much from the start he leaned more Nova Scotia forests than Bible. Returning successfully from an early hunting trip, he was indignant his family gave him trouble for being late to church with a dirty shirt, so he hit the road.

And travel he did. He remembers 54 countries, and every continent except Antarctica. As they don’t grow anything fermentable that far south, he didn’t think it worth the trouble. And in all those 54 countries, he told stories and had a drink with someone. Yes, he even managed to get a drink in the Islamic Republic of Iran and to share some stories with the people there, which gives you a good measure of the man. The stock market, hunting, and fishing were his main themes, but he had a depth and breadth of topics that demanded the stories always stray from the original narrative to cover multiple topics. Sometimes he told the same story more than once and occasionally he might even finish the story he started, but he would always tell you a good story!

Always moving, he claimed to work for CN Rail, the Quebec, North Shore and Labrador Railroad and various plumbing and heating outfits, but generally found them to get in the way of more important things like hunting, fishing and traveling the world.

Al moved to Kamloops in 1961, where the CN finally gave in and gave him a decent amount of time to explore the world. Along the way, he found time to marry an Australian named Claire, have a son named Dave, a daughter-in-law named Leah and a granddaughter named Claire. It is possible he spoiled the granddaughter on occasion. They are going to miss him, because even when they thought they had heard all the stories, he would find something new to share with them.

He claimed to be a Poor Old Pensioner once he retired, but between gold panning, mountain biking, skiing, looking at elephants in Zimbabwe, fishing, hunting, drinking red wine, going to Carnival in Rio, and arguing with friends about the stock market, he lived a rich life.  On December 8, 2018 he was doing moose calls with his friends and on December 9, he passed away in his sleep.

Al didn’t have much time for funerals or flowers. So, to remember him, the family asks that you go and buy a cheap bottle of red wine and go share it with your favorite grumpy old man. Don’t worry about the truth content of his stories, just enjoy sharing them with him.

October 6, 1929 – December 7, 2018

Vic Newman lived a wonderful life of love, kindness and true faith.  Son to Norman and Tula, big brother to Gwen, Daryl and Melvin, loving husband of 64 years to Winnie, and father to Vicci (Tony) and Rob (Cathy).

Vic was born at Royal Inland Hospital and raised on the Newman homestead in Brocklehurst.  As a child, Vic worked the family orchard after school, and pulled weeds in the family’s “Rain-a-Day Garden” located near present-day NorKam Senior Secondary.  Vic did his share outside in the fields alongside his siblings but he truly loved spending time with his Mom, reading and listening to music.  At an early age, Vic, his brothers and sister rode their horses to school and Vic joined the “Climber’s Club” of the United Church in downtown Kamloops.

Vic loved everything “flight-related” from his early teens until the day he died.  He obtained his pilot’s licence in the late 1940’s and regularly travelled to the Abbottsford Air Show.  Vic read every word written on the “Space Race” and watched through the night with his kids to see Neil Armstrong step onto the moon’s surface.

When he met his beloved Winnie in 1952, Vic became a member of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church where he found his true community of faith.  Winnie and Vic were married in 1954, and lived happily together until his passing 64 years later.

Vic was hired to help build the Kamloops Oil Refinery in the same year that he was married.  After it was built, Vic continued to be employed by the refinery until it was closed in 1983.  He then decommissioned the refinery and was asked to travel to China to rebuild it there.  Vic spent his entire career arriving at work an hour early and never leaving until his job was done.  His work ethic was born in the orchards and gardens of his youth and continued throughout his life. There was never a job too big.  In 1967, Vic and Winnie bought a small cabin at Cedar Villas on Shuswap Lake, and just last year celebrated 50 years of memories at the lake with their summer friends and family. Vic served as President of the association for many years, and to this day the grounds at Cedar Villas reflect the countless hours of effort that Vic spent working as the de facto handyman.

Vic and Winnie had a long, happy marriage, raising their children in Kamloops and developing lifelong friendships.  Uncle Vic was loved by his many nieces and nephews….and was lovingly called Uncle by the children of many close friends. He was also a second father to a number of students who lived with the Newman family over the years.

In 1989 Vic was gifted with a granddaughter, Christine.  She was the “light of his life” and they enjoyed many hours together at the family cottage.  Later in life, Vic became Grandpa Vic to Carling, Erin and Caitie.  He considered himself truly blessed.

Throughout Vic’s life, the Presbyterian Church has been his mainstay.  He developed close friendships with many in the church, most notably the Reverend George Peters and John Brown Sr.  Vic was both the Beadle and Clerk of Session for over 41 years.  When he retired his post with quiet dignity, he was recognized by the Presbytery of Canada with an Elder Emeritus award.  Vic was honored, but somewhat shocked, by the recognition.  Working for the church was simply the most natural thing to do.

Dad enjoyed the Rummoli Group, the Walking Club, their Happy Hour Gang and his new friends at Berwick on the Park.  His last months were tough for him and for those of us that loved him dearly.  True to his kind and unassuming nature, Vic never complained about his declining health and made everyone around him comfortable and comforted by his stoic and gentle nature.

The Newman and Ryan families wish to thank Vic’s doctor Francois Malan, the staff at the VIP Clinic, his respirologists Dr. Nair and Dr. Kambo, as well as Dr. Raath who lent a healing ear and supported Dad many times this past summer and fall.  Lastly, our family extends our heartfelt thanks to the legions of nurses (Blaine), porters, technicians and patients who helped Dad through the long days in hospital.

Dad has “gone home”.  He died peacefully and is now at rest.

“Until we meet again…”

A Celebration of Life for Vic will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, December 15, 2018 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1136 6th Ave, Kamloops, BC. There will be a social gathering in the Church Hall following the Service.

In lieu of flowers, Vic’s family encourages you to make a donation in Vic’s memory to a charitable organization of your choice.