Harry "Sonny" Claude Faulkner died on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Sonny was born in Blue River on March 16, 1937, and was predeceased by his wife and companion of 59 years, Iris Leone Faulkner, in January of this year. "Sonny" and Iris had two children, Tracey Everett (Ed) and Jayson Faulkner, along with five grandchildren: Kirby, Luke, Devlin, Jorgen, and Carter.
He often talked about his early years in Blue River and Kamloops with his 7 siblings, whom he always spoke very highly of. With Iris and his very young family, he made the bold move to West Vancouver in 1967 despite the concerns of many that taking such a risk was sure to end in tears. However, his family thrived in West Vancouver and growing up on the west coast of BC, and he never lost his small-town roots and pride of place.
Sonny was liked by everyone who knew him or met him. He was a profoundly gentle man but had no patience for rudeness or disrespect. He was a gentleman in every way. He adored his wife and was, in many ways, the perfect Father. He was always there, offering love, advice, and insight, supportive and sacrificing to those he loved. He challenged us to do and be better but also to be happy and make the best choices.
His heart is what defined him in so many ways and he loved people. He was very social and there were few things he enjoyed more than a great get together with family and friends. He was very proud of his extended family and his friends.
He was successful at everything he put his mind to. He retired as General Manager of Northern Trailer (now Horizon North) in Kamloops. Previously, Sonny had for most of his working life worked alone, fiercely independent, not wanting to lose the freedom to travel his own path. However, as GM, his last working role, he discovered that his greatest skill, his true calling, were people, and the most rewarding period of his working life was at the end of his working life. He had great affection for the people he worked with. It was the people who truly mattered to him. And that was the way he had always lived his life.
His family and friends will miss him dearly and his fight with Pancreatic cancer was a long and brutal one. Fought with grace right until the end when the fight simply became impossible.
Dale Fiddick
Sherry Fiddick
Sherry Clark
Wendy Finn
Wendy Apted
Wendy passed away on December 5, 2010
Daughter of Enid and Eric Finn; Sister to Peter (deceased) and Michael (Marlie); sister-in-law to Gary and Richard.
Wendy succumbed to her dementia but had constant care from the staff at Bastion Place for which we thank them.
Other family members are her husband Ted, together they would have celebrated their 54th anniversary on December 26, 2010, and all their children Anita (Alex Bergen), Lake (aka Lynn), Zoe (Dale Doebert) and Ted jnr. (Cheryl). They have produced nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Wendy was born in North Vancouver and then started her peripatetic waltz around BC always in sight of water. The communities include Britannia Beach, Kamloops, Monte Creek, Ocean Falls, Campbell River, Crofton, Prince Rupert, Enderby and finally Sorrento.
This connection to water seems to arise in many of her activities. As a teenager, she boated across the Atlantic to sing in a children’s choir in England, Scotland and Wales under the direction of Mr. Findlater of Vancouver. Wartime rationing was still in effect, but the choir was treated with scarce delicacies to show the people’s delight with their voices. Her musical skills shone for many years in the Shuswap Singers. Her mother had been an excellent teacher.
Later, as a sunbather at English Bay beach, the water effect softened her senses and she accepted an offer of marriage from the lifeguard and gave up her student nurse plans. The couple had a year and a half of honeymoon on Cousins inlet courtesy of the paper mill, which included a boat and driftwood beaches to explore.
Soon they purchased a waterfront lot neat Sorrento and continued sail boating, kayaking and canoeing. However with children and a house, Wendy moved on to creating her gardens by hiring a bulldozer and using picks, shovels, cement mixer and her VW bug as a rock hauler. It was not long for the plots to be planted and the cold frames, greenhouse and seedling room bursting. One of her friends suggested that she was obsessed with fecundity. So be it, but all surplus produce was canned or stored in the root cellar. Wendy was an extraordinary homemaker to her husband and children. Her family would wake up to her fresh baking and a song at the bottom of the stairs, as she encouraged everyone out of bed. Gourmet meals abounded and her sewing machines hummed with her creativity.
She persuaded her children to give her all the grandchildren at once for their summer visit to the lake, without parents! Two weeks of energized kids and she never had to “ride her witches broomstick." When the household settled later in life, she moved from the shore and surface to underwater with scuba diver ticket. Now we could explore reefs, caves and sea lion grottoes. She still would pick up shells and earned a registration in the Conchologist fraternity. She encouraged us to go white water rafting in Costa Rica, just before we completed a sailing circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.
A water nymph has come ashore, but she is still making ripples.
Jennifer Fleetham
Evelyn Follweiter
Ian Fraser
July 14, 1936 - April 13, 2018
Family and friends will gather in memory of a significant loss, a man who excelled as a professional, sailor, father, grandfather, husband, brother, fun-loving uncle, friend, mentor, teacher, vice-principal, principal, assistant superintendent, dedicated employee of School District 69 (Parksville/Qualicum Beach) for over 35 years.
Ian passed peacefully on April 13, 2018, surrounded by family. Born in Glenboig, Scotland in 1936, Ian, along with his two sisters and mother, immigrated to Canada in 1947 following the death of his Father (John Fraser). He graduated Kamloops High School in 1955, obtaining a B.Ed. at UBC and a M.Ed. at UVic.
Ian began his teaching career in the Kamloops, where he met Patricia, before marrying in Vancouver in 1967 and then moving to Courtenay, BC, in 1968. Residing for the rest of his career on Vancouver Island, Ian was motivated by a desire to educate, a philosophy that public education should be accessible to all and a passion to benefit society. He worked tirelessly for the benefit of individual students and his community.
A fair and fun-loving individual with a sailor's heart, a true Canadian, and an inspiration to all who knew him. Predeceased by his wife Patricia (nee Stephens), and his sister Jessie "Nettie" Nobbs, he will be remembered by his sister Betty (Don Stebbing), son David Fraser (Ana Dimapilis) and two grandchildren Raine and Carys Fraser, daughter Janine Fraser (David Mitchell), and daughter Susan Fraser. With a love of literature and the English language, his family will fondly remember this playful and intelligent man quoting many refrains, but none more fitting today than his children's recall of his mariners' weather lore, as evening overtakes, peacefully at anchor in a harbour somewhere off the coast of Vancouver Island, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight." Fair weather is headed towards you.
