Wilfred Charles Archer

Wilfred Charles Archer passed away in the company of his loving family at Kinsmen Lodge in Surrey on Tuesday November 15, 2016, at the age of 86, after a brief battle with pneumonia. Wilf is pre-deceased by his Father and Mother, Jesse and Violet Archer and his wife of 33 years, Noreen (Currie) Archer. Wilf was survived by his sisters, Kathy (Gordon, deceased) Flowerdew and Gwen (Harlan, deceased) Olsen; his four children Doug (Dee) Archer, Lynne Alexander, Laura (Andrew) Boland and Lisa (Mike) Paulson; his 11 grandchildren Chrysta Archer, Ryan Archer, Jesse(Selena) Williams, Joel Williams, Erin & Evan Boland, Leigh & Mikayla Bath, Amandah(Luis) Hernandez, Tiffany & Michaela Paulson and his 6 great-grandchildren Ben & Josh Farkus, Alyssa & McKenna Williams and James Fehr & Everley-May Hernandez.

Wilf spent the first couple of years of his life on the family farm in White Bear Saskatchewan until the end of the great depression when his parents moved their young family to New Westminster BC. Wilf started his working career as a boat builder with the BC Forest Service and then went on to become a Forest Ranger. Wilf met and married Noreen Currie, of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in Vancouver on June 24, 1964. From there they moved their young family to several small BC coastal communities until they were finally posted in Sayward, BC where they raised their family for many years. Wilf was a dedicated family man and enjoyed the outdoors; participating in many activities such as hiking, cross country skiing, camping, fishing, softball and golf. Wilf and Noreen loved to take their children and grandchildren on many trips, whether it was simply camping at Bear Lake or a trip to Disneyland. They were very proud of their family.

Wilf worked for the BC Forest Service for 35 years, making great memories and many lifelong friends, such as Vince Hernandez, Stu Carr, Tony Tindle, Darcy Dehart and many more along the way. Once all of the children had left home and were settled in their own lives, Wilf and Noreen retired in Parksville BC. Retirement allowed them the time to travel, in their motorhome, throughout Canada and the US for several years until Noreen passed away in Nov 1996. Wilf continued to travel by himself visiting family and friends across the country which ranged from BC to Newfoundland. Wilf was very fond of Noreen’s Cape Breton family, the Currie’s and the Crosby’s, and made a point to stay in contact with them over the years. Wilf was a kind and stoic man, with a quiet sense of humor. He was a builder and fixer; there really wasn’t anything he couldn’t or wouldn’t do for someone if they asked or not.

In 2009 Wilf was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which slowed him down considerably. He decided to re-locate to his condo in Surrey to live closer to his daughter, Lisa, who provided Wilf with considerable support and comfort in his final years. Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life for Wilf will occur later in the spring; date and location to be determined. In lieu of flowers a memorial donation can be made to Kinsmen Lodge (Surrey) or to a charity of your choice.