Obituary of Gordon Alfred Ede

Gordon Alfred Ede 1928 - 2017 With heavy hearts we announce the sudden passing of our beloved father, father-in-law, and grandfather, Gordon Ede, age 88, of Invermere, BC. We will miss his love, kind and gentle spirit, thoughtfulness and wonderful sense of humour. Gordon was born to pioneering homesteaders, Winifred and Ernest (Dapper) Ede. He lived his early years in Windermere, BC with his 5 siblings Ron, Heather, Joyce, Eleanor and Myrtle; helping with the family business of market gardening and raising turkeys. A self-taught musician, Gordon played the accordion and harmonica. He also spent many hours hunting, fishing, gardening, and regularly attending church services. In 1951, Gordon met the love of his life, Alice Hickson, at a local dance. They were married on May 3, 1952 at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Windermere (the famous Stolen Church) and together they raised six children in the valley. He was later to become a trusted master tradesman. Following high-school graduation, Gordon trained in Calgary and began his career as an auto-mechanic working for Wilder Brothers. For three years in the late 1960's, with Alice by his side as bookkeeper, Gordon served clients in the valley at his business, the Windermere Texaco Service. He continued working as a mechanic supervisor until retiring from Slocan Forest Products in 1993 following 47 years of service at the Radium sawmill. Always a hard worker, and known to take on a second job, Gordon proudly held a variety of positions including being a cutter on a trail crew for Parks Canada, as a CAT driver and as a theatre projectionist. He also spent many pleasant hours assisting his son Rick with automotive business ventures and generously shared his wisdom with many apprentices and hobby mechanics over the years. After retiring, his passion for mechanics continued and he spent time working for Lordco and Autowyze. Gordon was a true family man, a wonderful husband and father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and always a true gentleman. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his children: Karen (Ralph) Wilson, Theresa Harrison (Len), Judy (Terrence) Curran, Cheryl (Philip) Brick, Cindy (Dale) Nicholson and Patrick (Wendi) Ede; his grandchildren: Sheena Wilson (James), Leanne Hutchison (Robert), Allan and Phillip Curran (Eleanor), Alicia Polachek (Jason) and Korrina (Robert), Kristopher and Kevin Ede; and great-grandchildren: Trent McGraw, Taye Jackson, Evan and Austin Curran. He will also be missed by his special friend Wendy Harris, his coffee crew, the staff at A&W as well as all who 'adopted' him as family over the years. Gordon is survived by his sister Myrtle Wilder and many nieces and nephews. In their later years, Gordon and Alice spent time travelling and camping, visiting with their ever-growing family, volunteering at the Seniors' Centre, bowling (Gord's not-so-secret superpower), gardening and winning many Fall Fair ribbons. They especially enjoyed the company of their many friends and family. The family would like to thank Drs. Louw & Weber as well as the nurses and lab staff at the Invermere and District Hospital. At Gordon's request, there will not be a funeral service. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a memorial donation in honour of Gordon may do so to the East Kootenay Foundation for Health: MRI: An Image of Health Campaign. Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service. Condolences for the family can be offered at: www.mcphersonfh.com