Rae Andrew Karney

Rae Andrew Karney, my brother by choice, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday November 20, 2025.

I first met Rae in June 1974 when we arrived in Nanaimo. He lived next door to us and when his mother Alice first spoke to me, and found that my husband, Sam and I, with our six children, had no other family in Canada, she said, “Well from now on you’ll be my daughter and your kids my grandkids and they will do as I tell them”. Surprisingly it worked out fine. We ended up with 10 children and Alice was the first person, apart from my kids, to hear that another was on the way.

To Ken, Craig, Wayne, Scott, Lisa, Kevin, Rachel, Phil, Bruce and Wanda Grandma Karney, Grandpa Karney and Rae were family. Rae never married and had no children, but he had 10 nephews and nieces and then more as marriages happened and he became Uncle Rae to many children who entered our family. He will be missed at Christmas time, Easter egg hunts, everyone’s birthday party in August and other occasions when he would meet with us. His parents asked us to take care of him as a brother, and I promised I would, and I love Rae as a brother. I will miss him. He has a younger brother Don and a nephew Aaron. Rae lost touch with them. Hopefully they will reach out.

A big thank you to all the nursing staff, Dr. White and the recreation and activities people for the kind concerning care they gave Rae.