Kim Anthony Bally

Kim Bally passed peacefully in his sleep Sept 23, 2024 at the Shawville

Hospital after a lengthy battle with dementia.

Thirty Seven years as dispatch for Gervais Towing. He knew when it was

time to go and left Gervais over 6 years ago to seek treatment for what

was then severe memory loss.

Kim is predeceased by his Mother Pearl Evelyn Atkins from Saskatoon,

Saskatewan. and his father Horace Holmes Bally from Trinidad. He leaves

behind his son Mark and his sister Nancy along with brothers Dennis and

Gerry and neices Tara, Leah and Lauren.

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Kim was born in Manitoba and the family were transferred to many bases

including Trenton and Petawawa.

The disappearance of military dad Horace Bally, so suddenly in Kim's

teenage years left Kim with few memories of his dad. He claims that

they weren't a close family. He remembered fondly his time in Bellville

and his Mum Pearl's bridge studio that she began in their house and

later a build onto the house.

Pearl was struck by breast cancer and during regular treatments she

began to learn about herbs and studied so much so that later Kim and and

grandson Mark helped her preparations and many people benefited from her

holistic approach to nutrician.

Kim loved to play darts and played with a league that met at the old

Bank Street location.

Kim played guitar and didn't particularly sing but enjoyed many

different styles of music.

Pearl was an avid bridge player and He remembered the bridge tournaments

she ran. Kim loved chess.

Kim also helped his mother with her holistic business and the wood

cutting/sale business.

He loved to gather with the rest of the family for Christmas holiday

fun.

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At the end of his time with scientology he took the purification course

because he felt he had done too many 'various' drugs in his youth. He

had joined because he decided to dedicate himself to the study of the

mind, hoping to understand his dad and the fracturing of his family.

In and around the impending birth of his son in late '81, he decided to

return to Calgary. Building a family was the last thing on his mind

when he fell in love.

Kim had thought his life path was with Scientology until when his

lifestyle took a turn. No longer able to rotate between working oil rigs

and paying for more courses. Now he had a child of his own on the way.

His family and not been close knit and he had no experience with family

life with kids but he tried.

In Calgary with some help from a deprogrammer, Kim found himself once

again feeling lost. There weren't enough jobs and in frustration he

turned more and more to alcohol to get him through emotions that he

couldn't handle.

Upon returning to Ottawa, Kim went to school studying the Electrical

Engineering Program and graduated top of his class. Some would say that

he was the smartest person that they had ever met.

His first job in the business didn't pan out and he became frustrated

looking for jobs in that sector. He was quickly gathered up by Gervais

Towing as dispatcher. He worked the night and weekend shifts and loved

his job and the drivers. He brought home stray cats from the yard and

brought them back to life. He loved cats so much that at one point he

was evicted from his apartment in Mechanicsville apartment due to the

number of cats he lived with.

He moved to Preston street and joined a dart league. That's when he

explored his love of astral photography and had a couple of his pictures

featured in a magazine. (if anyone has a copy please we'd love to share

a copy as the pictures haven't been seen for years) Kim was stable and

did quite well for himself and began dating eventually starting a

relationship with a lovely woman who has a disabled daughter. They were

an item for years and she gave Kim some stability.

Even good things don't always last forever and the alcoholism ruined

many of his relationships and was also a contributing factor to the

life-changing stroke he suffered. After that he barely kept in contact

with anyone including his family.

Pearl had recovered from breast cancer Before his mother died

(after the return of the cancer in her brain), she helped him purchase a

moble home in Quebec. Unfortunately Kim changed and became more

interverted and verbally abusive after the stroke. Sadly the cats

ruined his mobile home forcing him to face some tough decisions. He

wanted to stay in Ottawa but there wasn't anyone who could take him on.

The family didn't have the resources for his quickly deminishing

capacity and confrontational interactions. This would be his last

residence before going into the long term care.

For 37 years, Kim was a great dispatch and the night voice of Gervais

Towing. He knew every shortcut, every driver and their truck's capacity

and he was the reassuring voice on the phone for those who were stranded

on the side of the road, in the dark and alone. He was their rock. He

took his job very seriously for 37 years! He did it right up until he

could not longer remember what trucks had what options and had to use a

gps to get himself home. His diagnosis was followed by a very quick

decline.

Even with GPS, he would still arrive late for appointments and he felt

more and more isolated until he moved into long term care. There he

found a sense of community, having forgotten so much of his life and

those who had been in it.

He was a great guy who loved to help others and had a mission for most

of his life and that was securing the night for those stranded in the

dark. Thank you Kim for being that voice when all seemed lost.

In the end it was his older half-brother Dennis who got the call that

Kim had passed in his sleep on Sept 23, 2024. It was difficult for

Dennis and he just couldn't be the one to tell the family. It was Kim's

sister Nancy that called to check on him as now he had been moved from

his long term care home in Campbell's Bay to the Shawville Hospital and

she notified Kim's family.

He tried to maintain a relationship with his son, but eventually the

dementia took that as well and he was kindly cared for by Julie and the

staff of The Valentine Centre and we all wish to thank them for making

it truly a comfortable home for Kim. Knowing how well he was cared for

truly helps in this time of loss. You loose them twice with dementia.

Kim is survived by his son Mark, his brother Gerry, his sister Nancy

Long and her daughter Tara Long, his brother Dennis and nieces Leah and

Lauren.

We will be inviting everyone to a welcome space to celebrate Kim's life

at the Kelly Funeral Home on Carling Ave following his cremation (as was

his wish). the date for the celebration to be confirmed.