Raymond George Leech
April 20, 1938 - March 25, 2016
Ray passed away peacefully in the early morning of Friday, March 25, in Powell River. He was predeceased by his mother Jean, father Albert, wife Beverly, brothers Bill (Barb) and Laurence (Marnie), sister Donna (Casey) and son David.
Ray is survived by brothers Gordon, Ron (Janice) and Wayne (Joy), daughters Mona (Dan) Trottier, Julie (Ralph) Birchard and Lisa (Brian) Cooke, son Destry (Shelley) Adams, grandchildren Jennifer, Kevin, Kris, Kaitlyn, Karis, Taylor and Paige, great-grandchildren Abby, Malarry, Isabella, Brandon and Madison as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Ray moved to Powell River in the early '60s to start work in the evergreen business, which he enjoyed for more than 40 years. Working outdoors is what Ray loved, he was a true bushman; the outdoors was his office. He loved to curl, watch hockey and baseball and made many trips to Reno with family and friends.
Please join us Saturday, April 2, at 2 pm upstairs at Carlson Community Club to celebrate Ray's life.
Saverio (Sunny) Pellegrin
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Saverio on Tuesday, March 22, 2016, at the age of 84.
Saverio was predeceased by his wife Myrtle on March 29, 2015. He leaves behind five children Don, Brian (Sandi), Gwyn (Darren) Mills, Rhondda (Bill) Schreurs and Pam (Bill) Olejarnik, sister Mary (John) Velletta of Calgary and brother Ron (June) of Langley. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
A celebration of Sunny's life will be held Friday, April 1, at 1 pm, upstairs at Royal Canadian Legion.
Theresa Sylvia Conedera
Theresa was born April 29, 1927, in Powell River and passed away peacefully with family by her side Tuesday evening, March 22, 2016, in Powell River General Hospital. She was predeceased by her parents Giombattista and Veronica Mantovani and her loving husband Peter Conedera.
Theresa will be greatly missed. She is survived by her loving daughter Karren (David) Thickett, grandchildren Tiffany and Skyler Thickett, many cousins in the United States and Italy, her very good friends and second family Filomena, Pat Porchetta and family. Theresa will be remembered because of her special love and caring for her family, who always came first.
A service will be held at Church of the Assumption, 7109 Glacier Street, at 1 pm on Monday, April 4. A reception will follow at St. Joseph’s Hall. Donations may be made to Church of the Assumption or the charity of your choice.
God bless, love and already miss you.
Rest in peace, Mom
Your loved ones
Neil McLeod
March 24, 1929 - March 23-2016
It is with profound sadness we announce the passing of Neil at the age of 86 after a brief illness. He was predeceased by his loving wife of 62 years, Olga, on November 26, 2015. Left to mourn are his six sons Neil, Bruce (Helen), Mick (Trish), Dan (Sandy), Jim (Linda) and Ken, 10 grandchildren Sean (Kayla), Jolene, Christy (Scott), Shawna (Ben), Crystal, Bobby-Jean, Danni-Lee, Kelsey, Tyler and Alicia, five great-grandchildren Aurora, Cru, Shae, Layla and Sophia plus many nieces and nephews.
Born in Coalhurst, Alberta, Neil and Olga moved their family from Fort St. John to Powell River in 1965, where Neil worked for Burg and Johnson Builders' Supply, then as a millwright in the mill until his retirement.
Neil supported his sons over the years in hockey, baseball and soccer. He loved fishing, hunting, all things western and was a proud member of Alcoholics Anonymous.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, April 9, at Carlson Community Club from 1-3 pm. Donation may be made to a charity of your choice.
Missing you and loving you always.
Cynthia "Cindy" Maurine Herceg (Née Nyschuk)
Cindy passed away Sunday, March 13, surrounded by her family and lifelong friend Margaret, after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. She will be lovingly remembered by Ljubo, her husband of 50 years, children Michele, Melinda (Brian) and Paul (Darrell), grandchildren Chantelle (Vanni), Michael (Melissa), Aaron (Jen), Brandon, Declan, Delaney and Danae, Stacie (Tony), Eddie (Allison), Ryan (Shalene), great-grandchildren Marlan and Marshall, Liam and Jordyn, her father Nijas and sisters Teresa and Sharon. Cindy was predeceased by her little brother Jeff and mother Mickey.
Cindy was born in Vancouver, BC, on February 12, 1949. She remained in Vancouver until she met the love of her life, Ljubo. She and Ljubo married in 1966 and soon after began their family. The couple moved to Powell River in 1967 for Ljubo's work and never left. Cindy enjoyed taking frequent trips to the city to visit family but never wanted to live anywhere else.
Cindy’s lifelong passions included gardening, sewing and home decorating. She was a voracious reader and made sure to instill a similar love in all of her children. Nanny was also known for her love of cards and would spend hours patiently playing with her grandchildren. She showed her love for her family through food and was always coming up with new additions to the holiday menus.
Cindy was a bright, articulate and determined woman. Her strength was never more obvious then during her three-year battle with breast cancer. Cindy fought hard to be able to spend more time with those she loved. She was able to spend her final days at home surrounded by the people she loved and the flowers she so cherished.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the staff at Powell River General Hospital, the oncology unit and home care nursing for the wonderful care they provided to Cindy over the past several years. No service by request.
John Edwin (Ted) Hocking
1914 - 2016
Ted Hocking was born in Leyland, Lancashire, England on August 2, 1914, the day World War I broke out. He lived a long and active life, experiencing the astonishing challenges and changes in the 20th century.
At the age of five Ted had part of a rib removed to drain and re-inflate his lung, a radical procedure at the time. It helped him to survive the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed millions of people globally. As a teenager his top marks entitled him to attend university with a full scholarship, but at 15 he had to leave school to support his family. Though he was terribly disappointed and bored by the tedium of apprenticeship, he gained acceptance and popularity (despite his working class origins) through his extraordinary ability at cricket and rugby. Ted’s persistence in finding interesting work took him to Rolls-Royce and probably saved his life. His work on the engines for the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster bombers was deemed critical in World War II, so he played a vital role in the war, but not as a soldier.
In 1952, Ted moved to Montreal with his wife Stella and their four young children. He was chief draughtsman for Rolls-Royce Canada, but his real passions (shared with Stella) were theatre and the arts. The couple were mainstays of The Lakeshore Players, a celebrated amateur theatrical group on the West Island of Montreal.
During the early 1970s, Ted was finally able to go to university, earning a degree in English literature by attending night classes at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University).
Over the years their four children moved to the West Coast; in 1994 Ted and Stella joined them, exchanging the harsh Montreal winters for the temperate climate of Powell River. “The best thing we ever did,” they declared, and they took to their new community with enthusiasm, making new friends through involvement with the Rose Society, Powell River Chorus, the hiking club and many travels with Heather Tours. To Ted’s great sorrow, Stella died in January 2015, but he took comfort in knowing he shared 75 years with the love of his life.
Ted was a wonderful father, a devoted husband and an attentive, doting grandfather. He was kind, patient and generous, with an unfailingly positive outlook. He maintained an open and enquiring mind to the very end; truly a civilized gentleman and an inspiration to all of us.
Ted and his family greatly appreciated the attentive care by Dr. T. Chao, staff at Dale Manor and in his last weeks, staff at Powell River General Hospital and Evergreen Extended Care Unit.
Ted died peacefully with family around him on March 5, 2016.
He is survived by his four children Isabel Otter (Neil Boyd), David Hocking (Heather Prittie), Nadja Hocking and Robert Hocking, as well as his nine grandchildren Chris Otter, Tim Miles, Layla Brack, Carla Prittie and Morgan, Simon, Rob, Madeline and Elise Hocking and five great-grandchildren.
A time and place for Ted’s memorial will be forthcoming.