Edward James Whalley was born May 17, 1941 at Zeballos, B.C. He died April 11, 2002 at Chilliwack General Hospital with his wife, Joan at his side.
Ed joined the Canadian Navy at age 17 and while stationed at Shearwater, Nova Scotia, he met Joan. They were married in 1961 at Truro, N.S. and moved to B.C. where Ed was stationed at Pat Bay Navy Base. When Ed developed diabetes in 1963, he was immediately given a medical discharge.After working at an appliance store in Chilliwack for five years, Ed and family moved to Smithers in 1969 where he was employed at Wall’s Home Furnishings.
In 1972, he wrote the Insurance Institute exam and started the insurance division of Northcountry Realty & Insurance. When the Realty and Insurance divisions separated, Ed continued with insurance. In 1996, Ed and Joan moved back to Chilliwack to be closer to specialised medical facilities.
Ed is survived by his wife Joan, daughter Trina (Mark) Storey of Smithers; sons Michael (Bernice) of Chilliwack, Vincent (Debra) of Tsawwassen, Trevor (Siobhan) of Maple Ridge; and brother Lee (Janet) of Williams Lake; six grandchildren and was looking forward to the arrival of another grandchild this summer.
A memorial tea will be held in Smithers later this summer. Memorial donations may be made to the Bulkley Valley Foundation of the Canadian Diabetes Association.