Tribute

FREER, Harry Richard
(1921 – 2010)

of Osoyoos, passed away on June 29, 2010 at the South Okanagan General Hospital at the age of 88 years.

Harry is lovingly remembered by Katherine, his dear wife of 52 years. He is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Mrs Joan Freer and Mrs. Barbara Sparshatt, as well as by numerous nieces and nephews.

Harry was born in Portsmouth, England in 1921. He served in Remy, France during World War II, and was wounded in Holland. While still in England, Harry was apprenticed as a mechanic. For a year, he worked at firms in Toronto Canada, before he was fed up with the place and moved west to Vancouver, with plans to head to Australia. A sunny day in the lovely city was enough to convince him to stay in Vancouver, and he quickly found a job at Deeley’s Automobiles, where he was employed for five years. He later worked on the Kitimat Kemano project as a heavy duty mechanic.

Harry met his future wife Katherine in Vancouver’s Georgia Hotel beer parlour. It took him seven years to convince her to give up the bachelorette lifestyle. They were married in 1958, and enjoyed 52 happy years together.

When Katherine enrolled in library science in England in 1959, the couple lived with Harry’s mother in Portsmouth, and Harry worked as a mechanic in the surrounding area. They returned to Vancouver in 1960.

While based in Vancouver, Harry took a long distance job working on the Gold River project. In the early 1970s Harry found employment closer to home, hired by the City of Vancouver. He retired in 1986. For the next five years, Harry and Katherine divided their time between their home in Burnaby, and a new home in Osoyoos. They moved to Osoyoos full-time in 1991.

Harry and Katherine travelled the globe together by car, bus tour and cruise ship. They visited Europe, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and islands of the Pacific archipelego. A car tour of France in 1972 and a trip to Venice held particularly fond memories.
Harry returned to England yearly to visit family and friends.

Harry enjoyed a glass of good whiskey before dinner. He was an avid reader; and it was hard to stop him once he started talking politics.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, July 9, 2010 at St. Christopher’s Anglican Church, with the Rev. Patrick Reid officiating. A reception in the church undercroft will follow. A private urn interment will take place in Saskatchewan at a later date.

Donations in Harry’s memory would be gratefully accepted by the Canadian Cancer Society, c/o Oliver Unit, P.O. Box 1872, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0.

Condolences and tributes may be directed to the family by visiting www.nunes-pottinger.com. Arrangements entrusted to Nunes-Pottinger Funeral Service & Crematorium, Oliver & Osoyoos, BC.