Obituary of John Bay

John Bay 1927 - 2016 With family faithfully at his side, John Bay passed away at the Kimberley Special Care Home 'The Pines' on May 26, 2016 at the age of 88. John was born on August 6, 1927 in the Guernsey district of Saskatchewan, and raised on a farm outside of Humboldt, one of 11 children. He married Bernadette "Bernie" in 1952 and they began their life together in Kimberley, where they built a home in Meadowbrook and raised nine children. In the early years, John worked as a plumber and later as a pipefitter at the pulp mill. John and his family spent many summers camping at Premier and Whiteswan Lake with friends. He loved to spend time outdoors, and enjoyed fishing, hunting and snowmobiling. He was happiest when the whole family gathered at the house for big family dinners followed by hours of cards, games, storytelling and lots of laughs. John will be greatly missed by his eight children: Debbie (Ron) Kerr, Wilf Bay, Brenda Moisson (Andre Lefebvre), Ken (Bev) Bay, Theresa (Grant) Eliuk, Bonnie (Bryan) Hnatiuk, Cindy (Cliff) Hamilton and Kimberley (Bryan) Fletcher. John was a proud grandpa to fourteen grandchildren: Lisa and Richard (Wilf), Donald and Valarie (Brenda), Brittany, Jacob and Alysha (Ken), Dakota (Theresa), Keaton and Kayla (Bonnie), Krystal and Jocelyn (Cindy), Jessica and Austin (Kimberley). John was also blessed with six great grandchildren: Amylee and Brandon (Wilf), Aubrie, Lilyanne and Aurora (Brenda) and Brookelyn (Ken). John was predeceased by his wife Bernadette and his sons David and baby Gerald. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at The Pines who made John and his family very comfortable in his last days. A service for John will take place on Saturday, June 4, 2016 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Kimberley at 11:00 am with Father Jim officiating. Interment will follow in the Kimberley Cemetery. Following the service, friends and family are invited to gather in the church hall. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Pines Memorial Society, 386 - 2nd Avenue, Kimberley, British Columbia, V1A 2Z8. Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service. Condolences for the family can be offered at: www.mcphersonfh.com