Leah Wharton died on October 4, 2015 after a lengthy illness.
Leah was born in Port Alberni on December 18, 1935. She leaves behind her husband Cliff of 62 years, daughter Sherrie (Hans) Lind, son Gary (Valerie) Wharton, four grandchildren who Mom was so proud of: Angela (Steven) Turner, Tim (Melanie) Lind, Kelsie (Mathew) Davis and Marlyse (Justin) Harrison. Mom delighted in the visits from her eight great-grandchildren, Emily, Jacob, Faith, Seth, Samuel, Clark, Flynn and Gwen. Leah is also survived by her brother, Douglas Drummond; sister-in-law, Joy (Bruce) Wisbey; and five nieces and three nephews. She was predeceased by her sister, Elizabeth Hannah, and her parents, Charles and Adeline Drummond.
Leah will be remembered for her love of gardening. She could be found in her garden when the sun came up. That was her happy place. Over the winter months, she would be pouring over seed catalogues and preparing seeds for germination. Spring, summer and fall, she would be planting, tending and harvesting the bounty from her garden. Mom and Dad were vendors for over 15 years at various Farmers' Markets in Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Enderby, Armstrong and Vernon. Mom had many repeat customers who would seek her out for her jams, jellies, pickles, breads and especially her monster cookies! She enjoyed the people she met through the markets; many of whom became good friends.
Leah was such a cheerful, positive and caring person. She never complained or pitied herself even while battling three years of cancer treatments. She would always remind us that someone else was far worse off than she was. She will be remembered for her courage, thoughtfulness and kindness to others. We would like to thank the wonderful staff at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Hospice House, who provided excellent care and made Mom feel so special during her last days.
John Dunlop
John Frederick Dunlop 1935-2020 Born John Frederick Dunlop to John and Rosella Dunlop, everybody knew him as Jack.
He was raised in Kamloops, where he fell head over heels for his wife, Wendy. Jack and Wendy met on a day spent at Riverside Park with mutual friends. Jack playfully tossed Wendy in the river, and unbeknownst to him, she could not swim! He rescued her, becoming her hero, and so their story began.
Not long after, the couple had their children, Haleen, John and Andrew. Jack lived by the notion that you "have to hold on to your kids," making a point to hug them each day, ask, "did I tell you how much I love you today?"
Jack was a businessman through and through. He started his first business at the age of 5, renting comic books to his friends. Jack was one to dive into any business venture he could, but the two most significant to him and his family were Automart in Kamloops and Neville Crosby in Vancouver.
Jack’s lifetime business associate Bob has also been a valued friend to the entire family. In his younger years, you would have found Jack riding his bike up to Paul Lake with his lifelong friends, Bill, Frank and Dave. They built multiple cabins at the lake and the group carried much of the supplies they needed all the way there on their bikes.
Jack had a reputation for helping anyone in need, whether a neighbour, organization, or fellow small business owner. He volunteered with the Kamloops Lions Club, Rotary Clubs of Kamloops and Vancouver, the YWCA, the Kerrisdale Lawn Bowling Club, the Vancouver Curling Club, and the United Church’s Camp Grafton.
He was also integral in keeping the Kamloops Wildlife Park afloat during hard financial times. An original member of the Kamloops Rube band, Jack enjoyed playing his trombone and marching in many different bands. He frequently reminisced about his trip to Holland with the BC Regimental Band to commemorate Canada’s contribution to the liberation of Holland after WWII.
Never a guy to shy away from a good meal, Jack loved milkshakes, malts, and trips to Wendy's for a chocolate frosty with his wife, Wendy. He will be greatly missed at family meals by: his wife of 62 years, Wendy; his daughter Haleen Johnston (Ian), sons John (Gina), and Andrew (Lisa); his granddaughters Sarah Johnston Giuliany (Ryan), Genevieve Johnston Simpson (John), and Abby Dunlop; and his great grandson Kieran Giuliany. Jack also leaves his sister Marianne Parlee (Arnold) and nephew Michael.
