It is with great sadness that our family shares the passing of Fred on May 24, 2021. Fred was born, grew up and did all his schooling in Calgary, Alberta. In May of 1943 he left school and joined the Navy. He was posted on the HMCS Trillium (Corvette) which took him from Halifax Nova Scotia to Londonderry, with one trip to Ireland on a convoy. He left the Navy in October 1945 and returned to Calgary where he worked at Dominion Bridge as a welder. Fred moved to BC July 1st 1951. Affectionately known as the Wandering Welder he worked in various sites throughout BC. He finally settled down as a Foreman Welder at Bel Aire Shipyards in 1962 and was there for the next 24 years until they shut down. He continued to work on and off until officially retiring in 1993 and even then he had a welding machine in his garage and did a variety of jobs for neighbors.
In 1963 he met Cathy; the love of his life. They were married on Dec. 27th 1967 and he took on the challenge of raising Sandra-Anne, a teenager from Cathy’s previous marriage with whom he developed a strong Father / Daughter bond. He was fondly called Gramps by his two grandchildren, Rhea and Orin; they adored him when young and looked up to him as adults. Later in life he was blessed with five great grandchildren and he enjoyed watching them grow and play in his yard.They loved their Gramps.
In 2016 he and Cathy moved from Surrey to Port Moody. He could often be found sitting on the bench in front of his building chatting to everyone who passed by. When he couldn’t get out to walk he went to the Gym. Thinking he should cook, he even learned how to use a crock pot!. In spite of the challenges of Covid, Fred was living independently until March of this year and moved into a care home in mid April. A quick decline in his health followed and he passed away Monday afternoon May 24th with his granddaughter Rhea at his side. He has now been reunited with his beloved Cathy.
Fred was predeceased by his wife Cathy (2017). Fred will be missed by his family: Daughter Sandy (Quentin), grandson Orin (Lisa) granddaughter Rhea (Leslie),great grandchildren Alex, Joshua, Ethan, Grace, Abby and cousin Joanie Longway (Clarence).
At his request there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Cancer Foundation are appreciated.
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