B. E. Kyle Kyle Allard

B. E. Kyle Allard was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Kyle was born on February 6, 1950 at Oshawa General Hospital in Oshawa, Ontario. His parents were Blake and Dorothy Allard. Kyle was raised in Oshawa, Ontario. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Allard household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Kyle was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Kyle was raised with one sibling, his older brother, Brian. Kyle was constantly involved in activities with his brother and may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Kyle was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, Kyle was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Kyle developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Kyle took part in football, and he was a member of Scouts Canada, both as a youth member and a leader. In his spare time he liked to collect stamps. Kyle's memorable achievements included achieving Queen's Scout. However, what Kyle enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Kyle as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Donovan Collegiate. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favourite classes and teachers. While in high school, Kyle won a ribbon at the Kiwanis Music Festival for singing. Kyle was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Kyle always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Kyle handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Kyle was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Kyle well during his college experience. He earned his 2 year Electronic Techniques Certification from Durham College in 1971. His favourite courses were electronics and after class activities. His favourite professors were Jack Davidson and Mr. Clark.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Kyle was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Kyle was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Kyle to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Dave Barnes and the Coppin brothers, Bryan and Wayne. Later in life, he became friends with John and Nancy McGregor, and Rick and Mary Ann Mitchell.

      On August 5, 1978 Kyle exchanged wedding vows with Inez Marie Cormier at the St. Matthews Anglican Church of Oshawa, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Inez, Kyle held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Inez and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Kyle brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Kyle was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Kyle was blessed with two children, a son, Gregory and a daughter, Amanda.

      Kyle greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Kyle enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Kyle was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was as an hourly employee holding a number of different positions. He was employed for 35 years by General Motors. Kyle worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Kyle liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Kyle always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were cottaging and RV travel.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Kyle as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Kyle was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, Kyle was an active member of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.

      Kyle enjoyed travelling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, travelling with Kyle appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he travelled, Kyle always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favourite vacations included a tour of Italy, a Greek cruise, our many RV treks including Cape Breton, Ohio and Michigan.

      Kyle was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Kyle’s favourites was a cat named Saucie. They were best friends for 16-17 years.

      When Kyle’s retirement finally arrived in October of 2006, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in spending lots of time at the cottage on Centennial Lake. Even in retirement, Kyle continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      B. E. Kyle Allard passed away on December 13, 2012 at Durham Regional Cancer Centre at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, Ontario. A very short battle against cancer. He is survived by his wife, Inez, his children Gregory and Amanda. Services were held at Oshawa Funeral Home. Kyle was laid to rest in Union Cemetery in Oshawa, Ontario.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of B. E. Kyle Allard. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

* * * * * * * * * *

ALLARD, B. E. Kyle

(Retired 35 year employee of General Motors)

Passed away after a brief illness at the Lakeridge Health Oshawa on Thursday, December 13th, 2012, in his 63 year. Beloved husband of Inez (nee Cormier) for 34 years. Loving father of Gregory and Amanda (Luke). Predeceased by his brother Brian, and parents Blake and Dorothy Allard. Sadly missed by his nieces and nephews Marc, Blake, Ryan, Brianne, Emily, Terrence, Alex and Ben. Son-in-law of Art and Lois Cormier and the late Teresa. Visitation will be held at the OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Monday, December 17th from 2 – 4 and 7 – 9 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Tuesday, December 18th at 1:00 p.m. Cremation. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hearth Place or the Canadian Cancer Society.