Obituary of Guy William Downie

Guy William Downie, P.Eng. December 28, 1923 - August 03, 2018 Downie passed away fairly quietly at the Pines in Kimberley, British Columbia where he had been living for about two years. He was a beloved husband to Jean, father to Todd, Rod (Arlene), Chuck (Jenelle) and Noel (Pam), grandfather to Chris, Kyle, Dylan, Vanessa, Zoe, Natalie, Rowan, Dawson and Megan, great-grandfather to Avery, August, Jaedon, Logan, Gaelen and Shailen and brother-in-law to Alec Thomson. He was predeceased by his wife of 66 years, Jean, in 2011 and his youngest son, Noel, in 2016, as well as his parents Guy and Elena, his brother Donald and his sister Roma. Downie was born and raised in Edmonton and graduated from the University of Alberta in 1946 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. His first job after graduation was in Trail where he started with CM&S working in the drafting office. Over a 40+ year career with Cominco he worked his way up the ranks to become General Manager of both the Kimberley and Trail operations. After a brief retirement Guy started a second career at the Workers Compensation Board where he stayed until his real retirement at age 86. Jean and Guy lived together in a variety of places from the first apartment on Green Avenue in Trail with only a bed and an orange crate for furniture, to a Minnie Mouse house in Warfield, to Montrose, Warfield, Rossland and Tadanac, to Kootenay Lake, to Ghana, to a waterfront condominium to Nanaimo and lastly to Gardenview in Kimberley where they moved in 2010 to be closer to their family. The place that they held most dear was 500 Geigerich Road, the Managers house in Kimberley, four blocks from the Pines. They also loved to travel and had many trips to Australia. We will remember Downie as a hardworking, honest engineer who always put in more than a full day, as a diligent fisherman, as a cook whose secret ingredient was lots of coarse black pepper, as a Grandpa who loved to read stories, as a devoted and adoring husband, and for his sons as a Guy who would always give his unwavering support and advice as required. Downie was fair in everything he did, never held a grudge, and was always ready to laugh. The family would like to acknowledge our positive experience with Interior Health, in particular the exceptional care during his time at the Pines. Guy was treated like family, often sharing inside jokes with the staff who took the time to listen to his story. As a family we were always well informed about his health, able to participate and advocate in his ongoing medical decisions, and we never worried about our Dad's comfort and well-being. Guy will be cremated and his memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 16 at McPherson Funeral Home in Kimberley at 2:00 pm. "I used to use my hands to make the buildings touch the sky" "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service. Condolences for the family can be offered at: www.mcphersonfh.com