Philip John Wallbank

Passed away quietly at St Luke’s Place, Cambridge at the age of 92. He was born in Alvechurch Worcs.England, oldest son of William and Maud Wallbank. He is survived by his sisters Monica Thompson of Redditch, Norah Griffin of Wales and his brother Bill and wife Betty Wallbank of Tavistock. Phil will be missed by his sons Tony (Linda), Mel (Mariette), Keith (Lisa) and his grandchildren Ted (Katie), Chris (Amanda), Andrew (Lindsay), Sandra, Gwen, Patrick and step grandchildren Tanya, Jolene (Andre) and Amber (Rob). He will also be missed by his step great grandchildren Gregory, Skylar, Cameron, Collin, Mathew, Logan and great grand-daughter Sophie Marie. Phil is also survived by his dear friend, Dorothy Tuft. Predeceased by his wife Betty in 2007, brother Raymond and sister Mary. Phil was a product of his era. He grew up in the industrial town of Redditch near Birmingham England, famous for the manufacture of needles, fishing hooks and springs. He finished school in 1933 during the Depression and became an apprentice springmaker at the age of 14. He lost his first week’s pay for making too much scrap and was instilled with tremendous work ethic from his youth in the old brick factories full of whirling overhead pulleys and noisy production machines. At the outbreak of WWII in 1939 he was in the British Army reserves. He was called up several times to serve but was sent back as a skilled tradesman to make precision springs for the war effort. His last call up landed him in India at the end of the war in 1945. In 1948 he married Betty and in 1953 they immigrated to Canada by ship with their sons Anthony 4 and Melvyn 18 months, to work at Premier Spring in Ayr, Ontario. A year later Phil was laid-off and started his own spring business P.J. Wallbank Mfg in the basement of a rented farm house near Plattsville. His brother Bill (Betty) immigrated and helped grow the business. Through the decades following, the company grew with Phil working 7 days/week and most evenings. All three sons joined the business with Mel starting a spring company in Port Huron Michigan in 1982. Phil worked in machine design and building for over 74 years , finally retiring in 2007. Phil enjoyed dancing with Betty and traveled to many locations throughout the world and back to his family in England. He was a tough boss with a strong work ethic. He loved his family and his work. The family would like to thank the staff at Queens Square Terrace and St Luke's Place for the excellent care given to our father. Friends will be received at Coutts Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, 96 St. Andrews St., Cambridge on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral services will be held in the funeral home chapel on Thursday April 5, 2012 at 1:00p.m. Private interment at Chesterfield cemetery. In memory of Phil the family requests that donations be given to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or WWF Canada.