Obituary of James Gordon Whitham

April 4, 1939 – Kelowna, British Columbia

July 27, 2022 - Calgary, Alberta

James Gordon Whitham of Calgary, AB, passed away at home with his beloved wife, Nancy, by his side on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at the age of 83 years.

Gordon is survived, and will be deeply missed, by Nancy, their daughter Debbie Boudreau and her husband Darren, as well as their son Paul and his wife Janet McColgan. Sadly missing their grandfather are Allison and Kyle Boudreau and Jackson and Barratt Whitham. Gordon will also be missed by his nephews and their wives, Garnet and Daryl Zoellner, Reay and Debbi Zoellner, Jeff and Tara Barratt, and Jordan and Heather Barratt as well as his sister-in-law Jennifer Barratt. Gordon was predeceased by his parents, Donald and Florence (nee Clements) Whitham, his sister Dorothy and his brother-in-law Bill Zoellner, as well as by his brother-in-law, John Barratt.

Gordon was born and raised in Kelowna, BC. His childhood was filled with family, sports, music, photography, orchards and of course, Lake Okanagan. Gordon was good natured, witty, loyal, naturally curious and worked hard. This led to many lifelong interests and more importantly to Gordon, the development of lifelong friendships. Truly a life lived well.

After graduating from the University of British Columbia in 1962 with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering degree, Gordon had a successful thirty-seven career with Cominco and Agrium. He began as a Junior Development Engineer with Cominco in Trail, BC and retired in 1999 as the Vice President Operations, North America with Agrium in Calgary, AB. Gordon was highly regarded by those he worked with over the years as a professional who "balanced accomplishment with compassion". He forged many friendships over those years and continued to meet regularly after retirement for coffee with the Cominco/Agrium retirees.

Genealogy, photography, marching bands, hiking, soccer and anything that his children and grandchildren were involved in were just some of his many interests. Gordon was selfless, giving much to those around him. He volunteered countless hours coaching and refereeing youth soccer, he was active in his church communities, and always seemed to be there at just the right time for family and friends whenever there was a need.

Gordon and Nancy were married for fifty-seven wonderful years and their love and commitment to one another, as well as their children and grandchildren, seemed to have no end. They lived a full life together, enjoying many of the same activities and truly being each other's best friend. Retirement saw them build their second home in Canmore's Silvertip community and they divided their time between there and Calgary over the last twenty-five years. Travelling the world, hiking at Lake O'Hara, researching family genealogy were some of the passions they shared with one another as well as with family and friends.

Gordon courageously battled Pulmonary Fibrosis for the last two and a half years. Although, we miss him terribly, we are thankful that he is now at peace.

Memorial Services will be held at Southwood United Church (10690 Elbow Dr SW, Calgary, AB) on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. A light reception to follow at the church. Graveside service at Canmore Cemetery will be held on August 31, 2022. Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Gordon’s service streamed live (below) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted. Condolences, memories, and photos may also be shared and viewed here.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, Attn: Calgary Chapter (47 Squire Bakers Lane, Markham, ON L3P 3G8, Telephone (905) 294-7645, www.cpff.ca, the Lake O’Hara Trails Club, www.lotc.ca or to the charity of the donor’s choice.

In living memory of Gordon Whitham, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, Ab t2x 3j3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.

Click Here to View Gordon Whitham's Memorial Card

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