Obituary of Peter Ford

Peter’s family is sad to report his death following a short illness.

Ernest Sidney Ford was born and grew up in Bristol, UK. In 1945, soon after the end of WWII, he was drafted into the RAF, and posted to Egypt for two years. This no doubt contributed to his openness to other cultures, which he and our mum imparted to us as we grew up.  After he was demobbed with the lofty rank of temporary corporal, he returned to Bristol.  There he worked as a hospital orderly, before training to become a State Registered Nurse.  While working at Southmead Hospital he met Lyn Birch, a young trainee SRN, and that was the start of a life-long love affair.  They married in 1953, and ultimately produced four children.

In 1967, Peter and Lyn opted for a bit of adventure and we emigrated to Canada, fetching up in Brandon in the middle of winter.  Shocking cold aside, we quite enjoyed the new environment, developing an enjoyment of camping in a small tent trailer on jaunts that took us across the continent as far as the Oregon coast.  Another move followed, this time to Cranbrook in 1970, and there Peter and Lyn remained for the most part. (There was a brief attempt at retirement to Nanaimo, but they missed their grandchildren too much, so back to Cranbrook they came.)

Peter was an active community member, playing trumpet for many years as a founding member of the Sounds Of The Forties – a classic big band – and also forming part of the pit orchestra for many community theatre productions.  (Not to mention deploying the trumpet to wake up anyone he thought ought to be getting up.)  He was an enthusiastic curler.

Peter and Lyn were regular travelers to Hawaii and Mexico, with the occasional trip back to the UK.  They loved taking off in their RV, often hauling along various grandchildren.  They never stopped embarrassing their children with impromptu waltzes down grocery store aisles to whatever canned music might be playing.  From Peter and Lyn, we inherited family-wide a big sense of humour, occasionally inappropriate, a vast tolerance for others, and kindness in spades.

Peter was predeceased by Lyn in 2012, by his children Martin and Elizabeth, and by daughter-in-law Deanna.  He is mourned by his children Simon Ford and Kathryn Ford (Garth Gibson), grandchildren Shawna Ford Denman (Chris Denman), Cassie Ford (Johnny Thomas), Corey Ford (Spice Hart), Nathan Telke (Priaw Pholphasook), and Aaron Telke, son-in-law Dwight Telke, and seven great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will take place in the new year.  In the meantime, in lieu of flowers, we gratefully request donations in Peter’s name to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.