Obituary of Lloyd Vincent Watson Wilson

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Donald and Olive Wilson, Lloyd had two sisters and five brothers. The family lived in a number of towns in Ontario and western Canada including Geraldton, Ontario, and Cranbrook, B.C.

The Wilson family’s move to Cranbrook was Lloyd’s most fortuitous: while attending Mount Baker Senior Highschool, he met Katherine (Kay) Tadey. They dated briefly before he left high school to join the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Lloyd served in the Air Force from July 3, 1952, to December 27, 1971, reaching the rank of Acting Sergeant as a telecommunication technician. His early years in the military took him to bases throughout the world: from a peace-keeping mission at the Suez Canal in Egypt to Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit), Nunavut, to Greenland, to destinations throughout Europe and Asia.

In Canada, he was initially stationed in Edmonton, Alberta, and once there and on leave, he drove back to Cranbrook to see Kay Tadey—surprising her when he walked through the door of the store where she worked. The rest, as they say, is history.

Lloyd and Kay married October 11, 1958, and started out in Edmonton but soon transferred to Trenton, Ontario. That is where both their children were born—daughter, Pamela, and son, Mark.

Lloyd’s final posting was in Bagotville, Quebec, after which he retired from the military and the family moved to Cranbrook, B.C., Kay’s hometown. Lloyd worked for many years as a warehouse supervisor for Taks Home Furnishers (now Bridge Interiors) and delivered furniture throughout the East Kootenay.

Outside of work, Lloyd was always great with handyman chores around the house. As children, Pam and Mark believed their dad could fix anything! He was fond of Big Band music, playing trumpet in the military band. And in retirement he had two seasons: golfing in spring and summer and playing hockey in fall and winter. He belonged to the Cranbrook Golf Club and played at least two rounds a week. A Kootenay Ice season ticket holder when the club was in town, he himself laced up the skates with the Very Old Timers until he turned 80!

Lloyd was also a long-time member of the Cranbrook Lions Club and worked on many community projects as well as serving as club president twice and receiving the International President’s Certificate of Appreciation.

Through the years, the most important part of his life was family. He was happily married to the love of his life, Kay, for 66 years. He was proud and supportive of his children. And he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren teaching them how to golf or how to drive when they were teenagers. Most recently, his great-grandson, Lucas, was the absolute “apple of his eye”.

Lloyd is predeceased by his parents (Donald and Olive Wilson) and six of his siblings. He is survived by his brother, Keith (Jacquie), his wife Kay, children Pamela (Dewayne) and Mark (Sharon), grandchildren Neil (Katelyn), Shaun (Kelly Anne), Taylor, Adam, and Sam and great-grandson, Lucas.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cranbrook Lions Club (Box 225, Cranbrook, B.C. V1C 4H8) in Lloyd’s memory.

Lloyd was kind, loyal, hard-working, dedicated family man and good friend. He will be greatly missed by all.

A Memorial Mass in Lloyd’s honour will be held on Monday March 4, 2024 at 1:00pm at Christ the Servant Parish in Cranbrook, British Columbia, with a reception and graveside service to follow.