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Lillian Elizabeth Kelly
1923-2016
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Lillian Kelly, our dear mother, grandmother and great grandmother on November 2, 2016. She was predeceased in 1994 by her husband of 50 years, Bruce Kelly Sr. and her six brothers and sisters in the Thomas family.
Lillian lived much of her life in Vancouver on Fleming Street, until her retirement from Sears catalogue customer service in 1980. She and Bruce then built a home on Salt Spring Island, where they welcomed everyone from near and far. She was an active volunteer and honoured member of the Lady Minto Hospital Auxiliary. She left the island in 2006 to be closer to family.
Lillian is loved and missed by her three children: Sherry (Robert Park) in New Westminster, Tom (Diane Kelly) in Surrey, Bruce (Patricia Kelly) in Coquitlam, 8 precious grandchildren, 8 treasured great grandchildren and other family and friends.
Much gratitude to Belvedere Care Centre and the staff on 2E, with special thanks to Lalaine and Kristine, who cared for her so well in her last years. A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, November 26, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Family Room (side entrance) at Burquitlam Funeral Home, 625 North Road in Coquitlam to celebrate a life of service to family and others. In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.
Enzo "Babbo" Casoli
Enzo Casoli, 87, of Coquitlam, BC, passed away Monday, May 22, 2017.
Enzo was born July 16, 1929 in Urbino, Italy. He immigrated to Canada in 1957 and in 1959 was joined by his wife Italia Casoli and two sons Pier Luigi Casoli and George Casoli. Enzo’s working career ranged from working in sawmills to construction foreman and eventually as a successful self-employed entrepreneur in the fashion industry. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting throughout BC, Alberta and the North West Territories. Later in life, he took up coin and stamp collection hobbies and enjoyed gardening, building boats and spending time with his children and grandchild Jordan Casoli.
Enzo is survived by his two sons, Pier Luigi Casoli and George Casoli and his wife Margaret Eberle; his grandchild Jordan Casoli and several brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews all living in Italy. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Italia Casoli, with whom he was happily married for 63 years.
A celebration of Enzo’s life is planned. Please visit the website www.burquitlamfuneralhome.ca for further details. Donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
John Hugh Dawe
1959 - 2017
John Hugh Dawe May 1959 - June 2017
It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of John Hugh Dawe at the age of 58. His brave heart ran out of time. He is survived by his wife of 24 years Margo Dawe and their son Eric Gorecki .
There will be a memorial service at 2 PM, Monday June 19th at the Burquitlam Funeral Chapel, 625 North Rd. Coquitlam, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Union Gospel Mission of Vancouver, or any pet charity of your choice.
Funerals : Obituaries
Last Updated: Jan 8th, 2010 - 09:58:46
Evans, John
Though he fought hard to stay with us, John Evans passed away peacefully in Creston, BC on December 20, 2009 at the age of 91 years.
John was born in Ox Hayes, England on October 13, 1918. John, with his wife Kathleen and eldest son Barry decided to leave England. They left by ship from Ireland arriving in Montreal in November of 1956, traveling by train they stayed briefly in Winnipeg, MB and then made their way to Alberta and finally BC. John resided in Dawson Creek, BC for 26 years where he farmed until he retired. When he retired, he had more time to spend on his love of gardening, he was well known for his tomatoes, but he especially loved his flowers. He was never without a greenhouse (the last one he built when he was 88 years old) or the cat to keep him company. John and Kathy moved to Creston in 2006.
John had a great love for his family and friends dear to him, a wonderful kind sense of humour, and seeing the good in simple things. He was a contended man never asking for much. That is how we will remember John, a man loved by all who knew him.
John would like us to find comfort in the hope he had of life everlasting on earth in peaceful and paradise conditions of which his creator Jehovah has promised. Revelation 21:4 “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former have passed away.”
John was predeceased by his son Geofry of England, grandson Jason Evans and sister Joyce Barnes. He will be remembered forever by his beloved wife Kathy, son Barry (Pat) Evans of Dawson Creek, BC, daughter Ruth (Roy) Fields of Creston, BC, son Anthony (Susan) Evans of Penticton, BC as well as ten grandchildren, six great grandchildren, one great great grandchild and others who chose him as a grandpa out of love.
Lansing, Glenn
Glenn Leslie Lansing passed away peacefully after a short illness at the Creston Valley Hospital on March 16, 2009 at the age of 54 years.
Glenn was born on October 5, 1954 in Creston, BC to parents Donald and Emma Lansing. Glenn enjoyed spending time with Jen at Cresteramics and was a member of the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Creston. He loved music, dancing, fishing and spending time with his family. Glenn was known as a “gentle giant” whose heart was as big as he was.
Glenn was predeceased by his mother Emma Lansing, and grandparents Augusta & Steve Foraie and Lawrence & Louise Lansing. He will be dearly missed by his father Donald Lansing, sisters Gloria (Ron) Messenchuck, and Marla (Ray) Moon, brother Larry (Jane) Lansing as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Service was held on Friday March 20, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holy Cross Catholic Church with Father Francis de la Cruz celebrant. Interment followed at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Erickson, BC.
Friends wishing to make a memorial contribution may do so to Cresteramics, P.O. Box 927, Creston, BC V0B 1G0.
Barbara Elizabeth Butler
1926 - 2017
Barbara Elizabeth Parry was born in 1926 in Saskatoon, and lived with her dog Joey, her sister Joan, her mum Lil and dad Harold in a house that was built by her father (who came from a Liverpool lumber family) and was surrounded by a lilac hedge that would bloom the white winter away. Her school, City Park Collegiate, was a little too nearby; to gain her freedom, she’d cycle—while singing—wherever she went. Early on her talent for singing was recognized, and she was a soloist in the cathedral, accompanied by a pipe organ, and sang at many events and weddings, delighting in joining the congregation by introducing the bride’s side to the groom’s side of the family. She had the gift of bringing people together with such ease and grace. During this time, Barbara’s voice, like her bicycle, carried her to interesting spots, including singing on the local CBC radio station.
As we all know, voice travels. Barbara had a host of close relatives in England with whom her Mum had kept constant postal connections since she emigrated in 1917. When Lil’s mother died in Liverpool, it turned out that every stitch of her bed linen had been sent from Canada. During the WW2 food rationing, Lil sent food, too, including all the ingredients for Christmas cakes, cleverly concealing fresh eggs in melted lard that firmed up inside baking powder tins. In 1953, Barbara decided to take herself on a Cunard liner to England to meet her distant family in person; her Uncle George was the Purser, and invited her to sit at the head table.
This first visit to England, to the bosom of her extended family, was a cardinal point in Barbara’s life. She often talked about the joyousness of being there when the food ration came off, so much later than people in Canada assumed. The year 1953 embodies another cardinal point: the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Barbara only recently told her family that, as a Canadian citizen in England, she had been invited to the coronation! She wasn’t able to go, but their lives were in lived in counterpoint (though it’s doubtful that the Queen rode around the English countryside on the back of a handsome fellah’s motorbike….).
Barbara returned to Saskatoon sooner than planned to be with her beloved mother during the last weeks of her life. Working as the Assistant Credit Manager at the Hudson’s Bay in downtown Saskatoon, Barbara spied a fresh Englishman in the China Department (a tall, thin young man from Stoke-on-Trent in the Potteries). She invited him over for supper where he would meet Lil and Harold. The story goes that the sound of the vacuum releasing on the pickled beet jar sealed the deal! Barbara and Frank’s first date was a double date with Marie and Colin Elliott, from Nottingham, who became their lifelong best friends. When Frank popped the question, Barbie said “Yes, please!”, shook Frank’s hand and kissed her father! We later figured out that their ships had literally passed in the night, when Frank was immigrating to Canada and Barbie was on her voyage to England.
Frank soon moved into hospital administration, first in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, where Jody (Joanne Elizabeth) was born in 1956; then in Selkirk, Manitoba, where Margot (Margot Leigh) and David (David Mark Ormond) were born in ‘59 and ’63. In ’59, Barbara and Frank flew their little family to meet their English relatives (Margot, 4 months old, was placed in a “carry cot” in the upper luggage rack!). Barbie saw her own dear relatives from Lil’s Bowman family again, and met Frank’s father Austin, known as Joe, and his mother, Alice, his sister Eileen, and brothers Dave and John who also had young families in Stoke.
Barbara was always a great one for giving, and she especially loved finding just the right gift and card for the special people in her life. She was carrying on the tradition she’d had spent her childhood learning from her mother: staying close to loved ones near and far through letters, cards and gifts (not to mention the phone!). Butler family holidays, taken twice a year, involved throwing gifts and bags into our capacious trunk (weren’t they all, then?) and meeting the Elliotts—Marie, Colin and sons Allan, Philip and Keith—, family and friends for some fun, and if possible, a little mild danger. In the late ‘60s, the Butlers and Elliotts moved house to BC, far enough apart to make seeing each other a special treat, yet near enough to be close. We’d spend time with Marie’s sister Hilda, her husband Bill Brown and their children; Colin’s sister Betty, her husband Tom Nonay and their daughters Elizabeth, Gillian and Jennifer; with Barbara’s sister Joan, her husband Mac and their daughter Barb; with Val and Tony Cox and their sons David and Mark, and of course, with other assorted rogues and rapscallions. There were parties, there was dancing, martinis were quaffed, roasts, left forgotten in the oven, burned….
In 1967, Barbara, Frank and their kids moved their nest to 407 Ashley Street in Coquitlam, a suburb of Vancouver, and lived there happily for 45 years. The house was almost hidden by seven tall cedar and fir trees in the front yard, and the back yard was a roomy suntrap, perfect for gardening and playing. Barbara was always interested in the north. She visited Jody when she was researching in the High Arctic, and later Jody’s family in Yellowknife and Whitehorse; and she and Frank had a sojourn of their own in the Arctic, living in the hamlet of Cambridge Bay from ‘88 to ‘90. In 2012, they sold 407 and moved to the 17th floor of a high-rise tower nearby. Without skipping a beat, they were suddenly erudite in the ways of tower living, ‘au fait’ with elevator culture and still independent, with a little help from Mum’s stylish red walker. With a view of Mount Baker and of the intricate building of a new Skytrain line nearby, they thoroughly enjoyed their three year stay, calling it their second honeymoon.
From her comfy chair, aloft, Barbara maintained her constant love of books (David is never without a book or three) and her love of learning, staying current with the world’s events, and applying her critical intelligence to connect possible futures with lively pasts (her grandson Nathan follows her there). She was an astute judge of character, clearly seeing, for example, a Prime Minister’s motivations, skills and shortcomings. She was wise. We sought her council on so many concerns and issues about people, love, work, our fears and our dreams. Barbara’s motto always featured: “If it’s productive, work at it. If not, let it go,” a trait that lives on in her granddaughter Zoe. She was both generous and discerning. Dad always knew that with the large number of murder mysteries she’d read (well into the thousands), she knew a lot of ways to bump him off, so he needed to watch his Ps and Qs….
In so many ways, Barbara was an education advocate. When we got home from school, our mother always asked us what we’d learned in school that day; around the dinner table, we’d have discussions. She took a real interest in our studies, and she engaged with our thoughts and questions as if we were peers. She taught us to love words—read, spoken and sung—and made it natural for us to go to the library and to do our homework; she helped us with our projects, and instilled a love of learning for its own sake that has lasted through two generations, so far (in fact, some of us can’t seem to get out of school!!). She loved to give magazine subscriptions and books to children, “OWL” to the children of their lovely neighbours, the Sivuchas, and recently spread this love to a third+ generation of family friends, the Harris’, who live in London. Barbara believed that self-confidence is the most important gift a parent can give to their children, and the dream of her life was to be a mother.
Barbara and Frank worked hard and thoroughly enjoyed their holidays to Mexico, Hawaii, Cuba, Australia, and Asia where David and Ayah treated them to an unforgettable stay at the legendary “Mandarin Oriental” in Bangkok. When Barbara was curious, interested, enthusiastic, her eyes shone, like her red tresses that turned peachy as she aged, carefully tended by her friend Wendy. She had a melodious voice, and though she lost her trained singing voice, she confessed that she sang silently in her head all the time, only sometimes along with the music the rest of us could hear (Margot and Jody have her voice).
Over her lifetime, Barbara was involved with many communities: active in the church when she was young, and avidly knitting socks and hats for Navy sailors (Zoe sure has her flair for knitting, and her groundedness); she was the Chairman of the Board of Fraser Health Homemakers, and also a Brownie tester for the “Tea Badge” (always take the pot to the kettle, not the kettle to the pot, boiling not boiled, and remember to warm the pot, well!). She was also a census taker; a volunteer librarian at a local seniors’ centre; and at 65 she was, for the first time, a university student, taking Women’s Studies 100 with her great friend and neighbour Joan Drobot. She had a special place in her heart for three more neighbourhood women—Sheila Fulton, Penny Sivucha, and Marina Evans who helped her so much in her later years. And she was still making new friends at the Belvedere, her last home.
Barbara’s steady commitment to those she loved has been passed to her children and grandchildren, no matter how near or far, and to her close friends and supporters. Wherever Barbara volunteered, worked, shared, there was love. Barbara taught her family all we need to know to carry on without her, and she will be ever in our hearts, our books and songs, our barbeque pork chops and our Yorkshire puddings, our knitting needles, our diction and our sensibilities.
Barbara is survived by her husband of 61 years, Frank; her children Jody Butler Walker (Rob Walker), Margot Leigh Butler and David Butler (Ayah Ouziel); her grandchildren Nathan and Zoe Walker; her nieces Carole Downward Mistry, Janet Hollingshead, Karen Jones, Dawn Butler, and Barb Barry; and by her many dear friends, long-standing and new.
Peter Anthon Abramowich
1958 - 2017
It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Peter Anthon Abramowich on Friday April 28th, 2017, age 58. Peter was a wonderful husband of 24 years to Erin Bampton. Peter was a father figure and mentor to Tabitha and William, who were both very special to him, and a wonderful dog-dad to Cocoa. He was a proud and caring uncle to all of his nieces and nephews.
Peter was the son of Nick (predeceased) and Carla Abramowich; brother Andrew, his wife Jill, nephew Jack, nieces Daniella and Ava (Vancouver); sister Elaina, husband William, nephews Mitja, Daniil and Mikolai (Edmonton); brother-in-law Alan, his wife Maureen and niece Ava (Nova Scotia).
Peter was born on August 16th, 1958 in Vancouver British Columbia. He attended the University of British Columbia and obtained both a degree in Civil Engineering and an MBA. Peter had a successful career and worked in northern BC, Montreal, Alberta and the Vancouver region. He developed many lasting friendships wherever he lived.
Peter and Erin recently moved back to Vancouver to be closer to family and life-long friends. Peter had a passion for giving back, spending many years on the Edmonton Non-Profit Housing Board of Directors and volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Peter was an amazing chef and gardener. He played the piano, was a competitive swimmer, loved many sports and enjoyed kayaking around the Gulf Islands. He will be remembered for his generosity, friendship, intelligence, great sense of humor, kind and caring nature and desire to help others. He was loved by all who knew him and will leave a large void in many lives. He was a wonderful devoted and caring husband and Erin’s best friend.
In celebration of Peter’s life, a service will be held on Saturday May 6th, 2017 at 2:00pm at the Burquitlam Funeral Home, 625 North Road, Coquitlam, BC. Donation in lieu of flowers can be made online at https://www.vancouverfoundation.ca/PeterA or via cheque payable to Vancouver Foundation (memo line: Peter Abramowich Legacy Fund) and mailed to #200 – 475 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4M9 .
