Obituary of Michael William Walsh

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Michael Walsh on September 18, 2023 at his home in Cranbrook B.C. He was surrounded by his family and fought his tired heart until the end.

Mike was born in Cranbrook, B.C. to Ed and Kay Walsh on June 8, 1940. He was the first of 3 sons and while he was still young the family moved to Kimberley, B.C., where his father worked at Cominco's Sullivan Mine.

As a child Mike loved music and became a music teacher in his late teens.  He started with the accordion and then the guitar. Mike loved to sit outside on the patio and play in the sunshine.

Mike graduated from high school in Kimberley, and although for a few years he worked various jobs, including the Parks Board, he too eventually landed back in Kimberley at the Sullivan. Mike, or as he was often called "Sparkle", worked his way from the Fertilizer Plant, to surveyor, and finally the Planning Department. During these years Mike also became president of the Steelworkers local 9672, where he and other locals/members successfully secured pensions, safe work environments, and a reasonable phase-out for the eventual closure of the Sullivan mine.

In 1968 Mike met Elsie, they were married the following year and the couple settled in Kimberley where they raised their daughter. They remained in Kimberley until Mike's retirement in 1997, and shortly after they relocated to Cranbrook, where he spent another 20 plus years exploring, enjoying the Kootenays, and being a Grandpa.

VE7DLU. Mike was an avid Ham Radio operator; he had an extensive collection of Collins radios, linear amplifiers, and towers in the back yard, much to Elsie's dismay.  He spent a great deal of time with the local Ham club, and sometimes you'd catch him around town banging on telephone poles in an effort to locate the "interference".

Mike loved the outdoors, camping, boating, and target practice. He loved lost locations and finding new ways to get stuck, whether it was in an old Toyota Landcuiser or his beloved Yamaha XT 500. This was the first summer he didn't go out on that bike, riding that old enduro well into eighties with his daughter - we should all be so lucky. He spent hours rebuilding and tinkering with that XT, and as a skilled machinist, he could fashion or replicate damn near any part his world might require.

Finally, Mike’s love for his four-legged companions was extraordinary. Sometimes a connection with a dog can bring so much meaning, and this was the case for Mike. He was never truly fulfilled unless he was sharing all of his journeys with a little buddy, or two...

Mike was predeceased by his parents, Ed and Kay.

Mike will be missed terribly by his wife of 54 years, Elsie; his daughter Adrienne (Digger) of Kimberley, B.C.; his Granddaughters Finley and Maya, whom he adored; his brother Gerry (Debbie) of Fort Langley, B.C.; and brother Ron (Nancy) of Port Coquitlam, B.C.  Mike also leaves behind Elsie’s sister Louise, numerous In-Laws, Nieces, Nephews, and friends.

Following a private family interment, please join us for a Memorial Friday September 29, 2023 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, at 125 Forest Crowne Crescent in Kimberley. If you choose, we implore you to make a donation to your local SPCA or animal rescue in Mike's memory, because he sure loved those dogs.

*if you're curious:

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