James Robert Happer

He was born in Burnie, Tasmania, Australia. Before the outbreak of WWII his family returned to the U.K. and eventually made a permanent home in Ealing, London, England.

At the age of 16 James began a 5-year apprenticeship at John Dickinsons paper mill, while also attending technical college, and thence qualified as a mechanical engineer. In 1962 he met Julia Broughton. They married in 1968, emigrated to Canada in 1970 and settled in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver. His work career in Canada started at Wire Rope Industries.

In 1973 James joined the Canadian Army Reserves with the 6th Field Engineer Squadron, and the following year was granted an officer’s commission. He served as a Captain with this unit until 1990; he was promoted to the rank of Major in 1997; in 2006 he was appointed as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 6th Field Squadron, and subsequently in 2012 was appointed as the Honorary Colonel of 39 Combat Engineer Regiment. He stepped down in 2015.

In 1980, with three young sons, James and Julia moved to Abbotsford in order for James to take up a position at Turner Building Products in Mission. Later he was employed with CPI Equipment in Langley, Wexxar Packaging in Steveston and retired from Tree Island Industries, Richmond, as Senior Project Engineer.

James was a member of Calvin Presbyterian Church, a place very dear to his heart. During the years he was Sunday School Superintendent, Chairman of the Board of Managers, helped with the downtown homeless ministry and for 27 years organized the Men’s Fellowship.

During his 44 years as an Abbotsford resident James contributed countless hours to the community, especially the youth. He was Commanding Officer of 861 Silverfox Air Cadet Squadron from 1997-2000; he was committee chairman of Abbotsford Scouts; and he coached youth (also men’s) soccer teams - his support from the sidelines will be sorely missed. He was a proud and active member of the local Legion Branch 15, handling the master of ceremonies duty on multiple years for the City of Abbotsford’s Remembrance Day event.

James is survived by Julia, his wife of 55 years; sons Andrew (Micheline), Kevin (Elaine) and Martin (Elodie); grandsons Ethan (Charlotte), Wyatt, Chace, Linden, Johnny, Angus and Bruce; beloved sisters Dorothy, Elizabeth (Keith), Sheila (Mike) and Winifred (John); nephews and nieces.

In years gone by he was an avid jogger, swimmer, walker and frequent visitor to the gym; he watched sports, enjoyed theatre, opera and reading. His passion and integrity were unmatched and his booming voice, whether it was heard at the soccer pitch, speaking for what he believed was right at a committee meeting or even at the family dinner table, was unforgettable.

A celebration of life will be held at 3:00pm on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at Calvin Presbyterian Church, 33911 Hazelwood Avenue, Abbotsford.

In memory of James, donations can be made to VETS Canada (vetscanada.org), Canadian Cancer Society (cancer.ca) or Calvin Presbyterian Church (calvinpresbyterian.ca/give).