Obituary of Bert Hunter

Bertie (Bert) Hunter, passed away at Calgary, Alberta, on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at the age of 73 years, after a valiant struggle with cancer. Bert was born in Brough, Westmorland, England on September 15, 1931. In 1949, at the age of seventeen, he immigrated to Canada, coming to Medicine Hat, Alberta, to join his uncle and aunt, George and Anna Plews, on their district farm. In 1953 he moved into Medicine Hat and worked for Dominion Glass in the neighbouring town of Redcliff. In 1960 he came to Calgary and gained employment with the Alberta Liquor Control Board. In that same year, at Fifth Avenue United Church in Medicine Hat, he married Joyce Hulmes, of a family deeply rooted in the Hat and district. Bert and Joyce were to spend their entire married life in Calgary, it became their home, but throughout they maintained ties to family and friends in the Hat. Bert was to enjoy a long and successful career with the Liquor Board. At his retirement in 1994, with thirty-four years service, he was the award winning manager of the Willow Park liquor store. Bert had a number of interests, many of them shared by Joyce. He was an avid sports fan (Toronto Maple Leafs and N.Y. Yankees), loved horses (an enthusiasm not shared by Joyce), loved to dance, and also golfed and curled. Until recently, he was a member of the Confederation Park Golf Club and the Norcal Old Timers Curling Club. He was a community volunteer and an especially active member of the Confederation Park Senior Citizens Centre. He was a lover of nature, of animals, of camping, and was an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable birdwatcher. He enjoyed gardening and had a lovely yard in which there were numerous birdhouses that he had built himself and regularly tended. He was a genuinely friendly and outgoing person, always ready to help others, ever caring of family and friends. Above all, he will be remembered for his generous spirit. Bert is survived by Joyce, his beloved wife of forty-five years. Also by, all in Britain, brothers Brian and Michael, and sisters Betty, Jean, Elsie, and Barbara. Also, survived in Canada by sister-in-law, Shirley A. Klassen and brother-in-law, Dr. F. George Hulmes. He was predeceased by his parents, Bertie and Sarah (Plews) Hunter, brothers John, Allan, and Maurice, and sisters Irene and Margaret, and by his uncle George and aunt Alice all of Britain. Funeral Services will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S Chapel of the Bells (2720 Centre Street North) on Friday, September 16, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. with the Rev. Marilyn Evans, Presider. Graveside Service will be held at a later date in Medicine Hat. If friends so desire, those wishing to remember Bert Hunter might do so by memorial tributes to the AgapÚ Hospice, 1302 – 8 Avenue N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1B8 Telephone: (403) 282-6588 or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Thank you to Drs. Morris, Kurien and Tremblay and the nurses of the Pulmonary Unit, Tom Baker Cancer Clinic, to Dr. C. McCowan and the C.H.R. Palliative Home Care Team in particular, Sharon Paul, to Dr. Naidoo and the staff at the Agape Hospice, and most importantly, a thank you to our dear friends and neighbors for their unselfish, and most appreciated support. In living memory of Bert Hunter, a tree will be planted by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH Telephone: (403) 276-2296.