Lieutenant Commander William Craig Curry (Retired)
May 17, 1927 – March 8, 2014
Husband, father, grandfather, friend
We were all honoured to be part of his life to the end
Bill was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Edward John and Elizabeth Georgina (White) Curry. He is predeceased by his parents, as well as his brothers and sisters, John, Nat, Frank, Ed, Patricia and Edna.
Bill served with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1944 – 1980. He served in WW2 on the HMCS Uganda, travelling from Halifax to the Orkneys, Malta, Egypt, through the Suez Canal and Indian Ocean to Ceylon, to Australia and the South West Pacific. After the war, he resumed his apprenticeship on the railroad while in the Naval Reserves. He married Pauline and continued his naval career as a shipwright. Over the years, he was stationed in Victoria, spending months at sea, sailing around South America on the HMCS Ontario, was transferred to Winnipeg, back to Victoria, and to Plymouth, England with six children aged two weeks to ten years. Back to Victoria, then to Ottawa, and finally, Washington, D.C., liaising with the American and British Navies. He was selected to be part of the marching contingent at the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. In the early years, he spent most evenings studying to complete his eduction in Ship Construction, and in doing so, achieved the rank of Commissioned Officer in 1960 and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1969.
Through these years, he added rooms in our homes as the family grew and completely renovated an old farmhouse in Victoria which is now a Heritage house.
Always a fit man, he rode his bike to and from work, and at noon, would play squash, swim or run. Upon retirement in 1980, Bill and Pauline moved to Smithers, B.C. to be with their first grandchild. They fell in love with the Bulkley Valley, living in Telkwa for 7 years, at Seymour Lake for 24 years, and in town for the last few years. They hiked, skied, golfed, swam, played tennis, gardened, fished and travelled the world. He also wrote about his many adventures at sea.
Bill volunteered endless hours in the community over the years. His leadership skills were valued on the boards on which he sat, including the Bulkley Lodge, the Credit Union, and the BV Swimming Pool. His superb carpentry skills were put to use to help build the Youth Centre years ago, and complete renovations on both New To You stores, to name a few of his endeavours.
Bill always had time for projects. He baked bread, kept bees, built furniture, repaired anything around the house and made toys for the grandkids. There was always a batch of wine on the go and even when he had to use his walker, served his “wine on wheels”.
After a heart valve replacement on February 28th, Bill suffered a massive stroke on March 4th and passed away on March 8th.
He is survived by his wife, Pauline, and their children and grandchildren, Barbara (Lars), Susan (Richard, Jamie, Shauna) Craig, Drew, Mark (Keira) and Jan (Eugene, Gabriel, Evan).
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
Any may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
Excerpt from Crossing the Bar Lord Alfred Tennison