FLEMING, James William
Born August 13, 1917 in Point Grey, Vancouver, BC, passed away quietly at the age of 92 on December 6 at ECU Mission. Arriving in Mission at the age of 5 with his parents and brother, he attended elementary and high school, perfected his basketball skills playing on a team that competed all around the valley, regularly rode his bicycle to Abbotsford and made many lifelong friends. After leaving school and being a resourceful fellow, he found work picking fruit in the Okanagan during the summers and logging the woods in the winters. Overseas with the army Signal Corp, Jim returned to work for a short time in the woods of Vancouver Island and Prince George, where he developed his affinity for trains. First with PGE and then BC Rail, he worked as a conductor on the freight trains out of Lillooet for 29 years. Constantly busy, Jim loved his home and garden, finding enjoyment in puttering, forever pruning, fixing or touching up. With his faithful dog Tip, Jim enjoyed watching hockey and baseball games on TV, wearing the appropriate cap and always rooting for the underdog. He always looked forward to his "Board Meeting" at the A&W with the boys.
Jim is survived by his loving wife of 32 years Patricia, daughter Cherie, son Bill (Barb), first wife Gina; stepchildren Connie, Christopher, Janice (Michael), Audrey (Rick), Leslie; step-grandchildren Nikolas, Meaghan (Andrew), Chelsea (Jonathan), Morgan, Megan (Nick),Marissa (Steve), Danny, Michael, Madolyn, Quinlan, Natalie; great-grandchildren Christian, Delane, and Diego; niece Carolyn (Ed), nephew Ron(Linda), niece Lynda; cousin Claire. He was predeceased by his brother David. The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff of ECU Mission for all their kindnesses and loving care of Jim over the last year and a half. It was much appreciated.
A memorial service to celebrate his life will take place Saturday Jan. 9th at 2:00pm, All Saints Anglican Church, 33077 2nd Ave, Mission, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations to Unicef or the Salvation Army would be appreciated.