Peter Alexander Coleman

He is survived by his wife, Laurene Coleman, of Coombs, BC; his son, Matthew Coleman (Teresa) of Port Alberni, BC; his daughter, Sara Coleman (David) of Port Alberni, BC; his stepdaughter, Sarah Cleijsan of Carmacks, Yukon; his stepdaughter, Sara Miller Gregory (Scott) of Abbotsford, BC; his stepson, Gavin Miller (Trish) of Nanaimo, BC; his granddaughters, Callie and Kaysey; his step grandchildren, Anika and Adam; and his brother, Rick Coleman (Jane) of Vancouver, BC. He was predeceased by his parents Annabella May Clary and Sydney Peter Coleman.

Peter was born in Rhodesia in 1950 and lived there for his earliest years before moving to Canada. He caught the adventure bug from his parents at a very young age. He chased that bug in his own way his entire life. Much of his childhood was spent in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his mother and his little brother. He had several father figures over the years.

Peter studied at UBC before pursuing a career in engineering. He moved to Vancouver Island in the 70’s with his first wife. He designed and built a home to raise their young family. He was a loving father, who led by example. Despite a privileged upbringing, he was not afraid of hard work and getting his hands dirty. He taught his kids how to garden and how to chop wood at an early age. Most importantly he taught them how to laugh.

In the 80’s Peter moved to Coombs with his second wife. Together they spent many happy years raising her daughter. This small sanctuary would remain his home base for the rest of his years.

In 2001 Peter met his third wife. They married in 2006. Together they shared a mutual love of sailing, travel, good food and good humor. With the kids all grown up, they were able to share many happy times with their grandkids.

Peter was a smart man. After the obligatory random jobs as a young man, including one stint logging and another surveying in the Yukon, he was able to put his engineering knowledge to good use, eventually realizing the dream of starting his own company and working for himself. When he wasn’t spending countless hours at his drafting table, he spent much of his time outdoors, up and down the Pacific coast meeting a wide variety of characters in his travels for work. He loved what he did.

Peter’s greatest love was the ocean, with the salty air, the wind in his face, and the freedom and space to daydream. He learned to scuba dive and explored the local dive spots. Above the water, he was an avid sailor and was always happy when his work involved using a boat to get around. He also took to the skies, enjoying flying small planes over this beautiful land, sharing that joy with those he loved.

Peter enjoyed a variety of music genres and was an accomplished musician. He played several instruments, a mean mandolin, epic ukulele and fine guitar chief among them. As a young adult, Peter was in a band, travelling and playing tunes at many music festivals. Always curious, he was interested in how things worked. He was often tinkering, fixing things, and looking for ways to improve them…always with enthusiasm and a boyish gleam in his eyes.

Peter was often seen throughout his life with a good dog by his side. His love for animals and nature reflected his kind heart and his gentle soul. He was a quiet, thoughtful man, who never wasted his words on malice or stupidity. He had a witty sense of humor, which lives on in his children. His light will be greatly missed by all those who had the pleasure to know him. In his final years he encountered several health issues, but his attitude remained positive, never willing to give up. In the end, his clock just ran out as it does for us all.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Society of B.C. or the BC Cancer Foundation.