James Edward Curran

      James Edward Curran 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.

       His parents were Frances and Hazel Curran, stepfather Willis Crawford. James was raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. 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 Curran 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, James 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. James was raised with four siblings. He had older brother George, older sisters Dee and Rosemary, younger brother Cec. James was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. James and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but James was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, James 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. James 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. In his spare time he liked throwing a ball around with the neighbourhood kids. James' memorable achievements included Knight of the Altar as an altar boy. However, what James enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of James 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 enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite classes in high school were Latin and Math. James was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. James 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 James handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, James was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. James was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served James well during his college experience. He trained at the Winnipeg Flying Club in 1971.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, James 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, James 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 James 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. Later in life, he became friends with Perry Walker, Murray Haines and Bob McCusker.

      On August 31, 1974 James exchanged wedding vows with Susan Schroeder at the St. Paul the Apostle Church of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Compassionate and devoted to Susan, James 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 Susan and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      James 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. James 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. James was blessed with two, One son Alan, one daughter Lesley.

      James 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. James 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, James 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 Captain on commercial aircraft. He was employed by Time Air from 1972 -1973 and Air Canada from 1974 - 2006. James worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      James 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, James always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were Electronics, war history movies, science and nature programs, space and classic Buick cars. James was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      James found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included golf and curling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were basketball, golf and curling.

      As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that James was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, James preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. James was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. James was a member of several community groups, including serving on committees for the Crown Isle Men's Golf Club, Men's Thursday Night Curling Club and he spared for the Hangover Curling league on Sundays.

      James enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with James appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, James always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, Caribbean cruises and numerous other family trips.

      James was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of James’s favorites was Darby, a Shi-tzu/Bichon Frise dog. They were best friends for 3 and a half years. His family was rounded out by his numerous pets over the years including cats, fish, a hedgehog and a cockatiel.

      When James’s retirement finally arrived in 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. His new life involved relocating to Courtenay, BC. In retirement, he found new pleasure in golf and curling. Even in retirement, James 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.

      James Edward Curran passed away on March 1, 2011 at at his home in Courtenay, BC. He is survived by his wife Susan, son Alan, daughter lesley, brothers and sisters, numerous nieces and nephews. Services were held at Crown Isle Golf Club.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of James Edward Curran. 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.

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James Edward Michael Curran

March 4, 1949 - March 1, 2011

It is with deep sadness and sorrow that the family announces the passing of James (Jim, J.C., Jimmy) Edward Michael Curran on Tuesday, March 1, 2011.

Jim is survived by his loving wife Susan, son Alan Curran and daughter Lesley (Devon) Keats. He is also survived by his sisters Dee (Gord) McQueen, Rosemary (Jim) Postnikoff and Brother Cec, as well as brothers-in-law Bruce and Blair Schroeder, sisters-in-law Wendy Spillett and Brenda (Bryan) Thom plus several nieces and nephews. He will also be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues.

Jim was predeceased by his father Frank, mother Hazel, step-father Willis Crawford and elder brother George, in-laws Vic and Peggy Schroeder and brother-in-law Gary Spillett.

Jim was born in Middleton, Nova Scotia, raised in Saskatoon, moving to Winnipeg in 1971 to begin flying lessons at the Winnipeg Flying Club. Upon completion he was employed by Time Air in Calgary and began his long career with Air Canada in 1974. He was first based in Toronto on the L10-11 and the Boeing 727 then moved back to Winnipeg in 1978 to be promoted to Captain on the DC-9, his favourite aircraft to fly. He continued to move up the ranks on various Airbuses. While in Winnipeg he not only had a career he loved but a second career as a Dad which he loved even more. He was on top on the world.

After retirement Jim and Susan moved to Vancouver Island to Crown Isle Golf Community where he enjoyed golfing, curling, watching basketball, tennis and sharing time with his many, many friends. He especially enjoyed his "special buds", Perry Walker, Murray Haines and Bobbie McCusker. Spending time with warm caring people in Britannia Place was something he deeply treasured.

He will be remembered for his quick wit and dry sense of humour. His clever one-liner's became his signature to those who knew him best. Jim's astounding knowledge of numbers, dates and trivia was uncanny - his memory was amazing. Jim was a devoted husband, father and brother. Together with his many friends, they will treasure their happy memories of time shared and his generosity of spirit.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to Dr. S. Mazaheri and Dr. E. Howard of the Comox Medical, Oncologists Dr. J. Goulart and Dr. J. Michels, nurses, radiologists and all staff and volunteers at Victoria Cancer Care and Home and Community Nurses Paula and Val.