Norman Douglas Relf

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Norman Douglas Relf, Doug, started his race on December 12, 1937 in MacLeod Valley, Alberta, a small community close to Edson. He was born to Norman and Caroline Relf and was the fourth child of eight; Lois (Orvil), Jack (already in heaven with Doug) Rolly, Tim (Marilyn), David, Miriam and Don (Marion). It wasn’t long after Doug was born that the family moved to Edmonton. When Doug was just a boy he came to know about Jesus, who loved him enough to die for him, and he committed his life to follow Him.

Around 1948, Doug met Margaret Smith, first at school and soon their families started attending the same church, 97th Street Gospel Hall. They began dating in their high school years and were married in 1958. He started his working career as an aviation mechanic, then as a lab tech for a company contracted by the oil and gas industry. Eventually, he found his niche in sales, working for a local radio station selling advertising. It was during these years that Doug and Margaret began their family. Sharon, Timothy (Tim) and Valerie (Val) rounded out this family of five.

In 1970 they packed up and moved west to Victoria. The mountains, trees and ocean all in one place! Doug settled into a career in real estate until the 80’s when the market became very challenging. They decided to purchase a little hardware store in Royal Oak where Doug enjoyed meeting and getting to know the people in this community. That lasted until a brand new Canadian Tire was built across the highway and Home Depot came to town. He decided to journey to sweeter pastures and joined the boys at the “honey shack”. He became the Sales Representative for Peace River Honey and “stuck” with it until he retired.

Doug was an avid reader who loved music. You often heard Doug singing or whistling long before you actually saw him! He also loved to travel. Camping all over North America was his favorite pastime, until he discovered cruising. In his retirement years Doug & Margaret enjoyed many trips with his sisters-in- law and brothers-in-law, Ruth & Norman, Joe & Ivy. He always kept in touch with family by making annual trips back to Alberta. He loved his family!

When CB Radios were the latest technology, Doug installed one in his camper van and gave himself the handle “Ambassador for Christ”, and that’s exactly what he was. His passion was to share the love of Jesus and his desire for his family, his friends, his church and for anyone he met was that they would come to experience abundant life through Jesus and to follow Him.

2022 is the celebration of Doug and Margaret’s 64th wedding anniversary. He was a wonderful, faith-filled husband and a loving and dedicated dad, who set an example just by living his life in the abundant love of Jesus. His church family at Oak Bay Gospel Assembly held a special place in his heart and he served there in any capacity needed, prayerfully committed to each one until his last day.

Doug finishes his race on August 3, 2022, embraced by his Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ, who certainly said, “Well done, good and faithful Doug!” Come on in and rest!”

Memories of Dad…

It’s been said that Dad will never really leave us because there’s a part of him that is in all of us; his family and his friends. I started thinking about what I saw in each of his children that is Dad. In my brother, Tim, I see his playful sense of humour, the sparkle of mischief in his eye, his kind and loving heart toward people and his special gift of making others feel welcome, especially children.

There’s so much I see of Dad in my sister, Sharon - interest in current and world events, a hunger to know and understand, but mostly his love for Jesus and his gift for discipling others in their walk and relationship with God. How they both see those who need to be cared for, and welcomed and added to our family, like my special, unofficially adopted sister, Julie and Jana and Glen.

For me, I think Dad sparked and fueled my love of stories- fiction and non-fiction, sometimes nonfiction embellished with a bit of fiction for dramatic effect, and my imagination. In his many sermons I sat through in my teen years I remember him saying things like “I wonder what it was like in the garden of Eden” or “what was David thinking when…?” Or “what do you think the temple Solomon built actually looked like?” Sometimes, we would imagine together sprinkled with what he learned from reference materials and the bible.

I remember one day when I was in my early teens - I think - Dad and I went on one of his infamous drives - Not sure why or exactly when, but Dad recounted this just a little while ago so, I know it actually happened and wasn’t in my imagination. We took the little roads that go down by Cowichan Bay and Crofton etc. We came across this old abandoned farm house in the middle of a big field. It was sort of like the green and white two story house that Grandma and Grandpa lived in for a while. It was two levels with windows across the front and back on both floors. This old house has seen better days. The shutters were either falling or had fallen off the porch railings were falling down but, for some reason dad pulled off to the side of the road and said “let’s go take a look at the old house”. Always up for an adventure, I followed along. Dad and I struck out across the field and beat around the house until we found a way in. I don’t know how long we spent wandering the house but, we sat on the floors and walked around as we imagined who might have lived there, the family dinners in the big farm kitchen and the evenings by the big old fireplace. Even the mischief and trouble the kids might have found as they slid down banisters and played tricks on one another. Perhaps none of this happened at all but for the time that Dad and I spent in this house there was love, joy, comfort and adventure!

During the last day I spent with Dad, for some reason we started talking about the temples and churches and places of worship that mankind has built in this world. Dad spoke of the cathedral that Sharon and Julie just visited in Cologne Germany, how long it took to build it and the size and beauty of the architecture. I tried to describe to him the most beautiful and awesome cathedral I’d ever seen in Spain - the Sagrada Familia - the Church of the Holy or Sacred Family, still under construction to this day. We looked at the images on my phone but agreed that pictures never do these places any justice. He marveled that in spite of our best efforts and our desire to build a place worthy of our God, He chooses to make his residence in us.

I’ve been trying to collect all of these thoughts; how we each have an imprint or reflection of our dad in us, thoughts of old houses and warm family times, of holy temples and beautiful cathedrals that leave us speechless and an intimate loving God who chooses to make his home in us.

Well Dad, today you know a new home, where you get to be with the Heavenly Father who left his imprint on you, where there’s friends and family, love and adventure. Where the cathedral is so amazing you need a new body to take it all in and I’m reminded of John 14:2-3; Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms ; If that were not so, would I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you? And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.

We love you Dad - We miss you. Get our rooms ready and put the kettle on - we’ll see you soon!