Tribute

We are happy to wish Dad well as he sets out on his final fishing trip: a couple of beers, his favourite plug, smooth water and the boat pointed west to his secret fishing spot.

With his family by his side, James (Jim) Andrew Betteridge passed away peacefully on July 6, 2015 after a brief, but courageous, battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). We are honoured to have had such a loving husband, father, Papa, son, uncle, and friend in our lives. Jim is survived by his wife of 43 years Nancy, his three children Andrew (Leigh) of Richmond, BC, Deanna (Lindsey) of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Elizabeth (Chris) of Nanaimo, BC, and the special little people in his life, his grandchildren Micah, Nathan, Myelle, Cameron and Kailani. He is also survived by his mother Elva, his siblings George (Joan), Ken (Lynne), Carl (Donna), Bruce (Debbie), Dorothy (JP) and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Dad was predeceased by his father Allan.

Jim was born in Bethany, Manitoba where he grew up on the family farm before starting his career as a lineman with Manitoba Hydro. He and Nancy were married on November 19, 1971 in Minnedosa, Manitoba before moving to Haida Gwaii, British Columbia in 1974 to work for BC Hydro. They intended to stay for only two years but fell in love with the West Coast, staying for 13 years in Haida Gwaii where they celebrated the births of their three children before transferring to Powell River, BC in 1987. He was a lineman with BC Hydro for 34 years and proudly retired in 2007. After his retirement Jim joined Midway Power and happily replaced power poles on sunny days and restored power to customers on stormy ones. He worked hard all his life, enjoying the social aspect of work and looked forward to truly experiencing retirement. Although it was cut short, he enjoyed his brief retirement, travelling with Nancy, fishing, golfing, curling, hunting, and spending time with his friends and family, especially his grandchildren. He capped off his own sporting career with a second-place finish with Team Massullo at the British Columbia Masters Curling Championship in 2009.

Our home has always been open and welcoming where everyone is greeted with a smile, a beverage and a couple of laughs. Dad left an impression with every encounter, chance or planned, and you always had his full attention (unless a hockey game was on, of course). He was a strong community supporter, lending a hand wherever needed. He proudly coached his children in baseball and hockey and supported us in all of our sporting, education and life ventures. We knew he supported us 100 per cent and never doubted that he would be there to lend a hand, a hammer or an ear. He taught us the importance of family through his words and actions and we plan to honour his memory by playing card games, family time, family vacations and lots of FaceTime with Gigi.

A church service will be held on Tuesday, July 14 at 2 pm at Powell River United Church.

A celebration of life will also be held in Manitoba at the end of August, dates and location will be confirmed.

A big thank you to Dr. Lynskey and the ALS Society of BC for their care and support. A special thank you to Dad’s incredible friends for being there to support him-you’ve taken kindness and friendship to a whole new level.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim’s team name ‘I’d Rather Be Fishing’ with the ALS Society of BC.