Obituary of Peter James RYAN

June 24, 1932 – Port Alice, British Columbia

January 14, 2020 – Calgary, Alberta

ODE to PETE

If you asked Peter who he thought he was - my guess is his answer would be: “accountant and a bit of a handyman.”  But who Pete thought he was is so much less than what we know he really was: 

A baby born on a float house on the north of Vancouver Island, accessible only by boat, in an era where all kids (male & female) wore dresses until they graduated to short trousers...

A boy who loved to fish & once was dragged around Port Alice harbour by a king salmon larger than his dingy...

A teenager who found a Japanese bayonet washed up on shore, and painstakingly hand ground it down to proudly wear it as a belt knife...

A young red head with his characteristic broken nose, earned with a close encounter with a 1-tonne, run-away roll of paper at a pulp mill on Vancouver Island…

A BC adventurer who tried his hand swabbing decks at coastal whaling stations, swinging an axe as an interior lumberjack, when not chasing cattle on horseback...

A young man who would be one of the first to try driving the newly opened TransCanada Hwy from Vancouver (fortunately breaking down in Calgary & meeting Marilyn)...

A dedicated employee who settled down to do the books for Shaw GMC for nearly 3 decades...

A brave soul who weathered the storm of 3 daughters with a bemused & slightly shell-shocked air often saying “it's a conspiracy - I swear even the goldfish are all women -” ... 

A home renovator ... helping to knock down walls, wire lights & make homes beautiful...

An international tabulator for Canada’s Rollerskating Federation...

A set designer for children’s theatre - Evergreen Theatre...

A stagehand and chaperone for international tours with Youth Singers of Calgary...

Peter, Dad, Grandpa, P.J. Ryan ... a hard-working, and sometimes hard-to-get-to-know man who often told bad jokes, helped teach us all the value of saving for a rainy day, how to take pride in a job well done and always to finish what one starts.  

Thanks Dad

A Private Gathering will be held at a later date. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Peter’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

A tree will be planted in living memory of Peter Ryan. McInnis and Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive S.W., Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.