I attended my grandfather’s memorial service in Kelowna on the May long weekend. It was good to see the extended family all together, but it was even better to learn more about Grandpa.
He was born in New Brunswick but ended up on the other side of the country, in British Columbia. He met Eva and they were married in 1948. They had 4 daughters and 2 sons and lived happily ever after.
My family was able to fill in some of the gaps with their own stories.
- Grandpa was a lumberjack, but knew the importance of the environment and the need to protect it
- He left school at 14, but was one of the most widely read person I knew. He was an expert in several areas of knowledge. The last time I saw him, he mentioned he was reading a book on nuclear fusion so I asked him what he thought of it. He responded by saying he thought the laser ignition model showed more promise than the Tokamak reactor, to which I responded “huh?”
- Uncle Kevin told a story about Grandpa lending $300 to someone in 1972 (a sizeable sum back then) which was never repaid. When asked if he was angry, Grandpa responded “You don’t lend money, you give it”
- His children often made fun of his paranoia over food borne illnesses. Grandpa’s brother Les, told me where this fear came from. Grandpa’s father worked in camps and was concerned about salmonella and such because “if these men get salmonella, they’ll lose 2 weeks pay and we can’t let that happen”. This ethic was obviously passed down to Grandpa.
Grandpa passed away in December, but wanted to have a memorial service in the spring so all the family could get together safely, without navigating wintry BC roads. He’ll be missed, but more importantly, he’ll be remembered.
For those of you wondering, I am named after Grandpa, as is my uncle and my cousin. We’re not a terribly creative family when it comes to names.
The Universal Chan 