It is with a profound sense of loss that we announce Jack’s peaceful passing at St Michael’s Hospice while surrounded by family. His readiness to help anyone or to share a joke will always be missed and will leave an emptiness in our lives.
Jack was born in Wales to a family with 10 siblings and had an adventurous early life. We will greatly miss the stories of his young adulthood and the rogue that he could be. Jack showed an early interest in all things technical and this led to a stint in the Royal Air Force from 1950-53 as an electrical mechanic and later as an electrical engineer in the mines of Wales.
It was in Wales that he met his lifelong love Jean where they married in 1957 and would look forward to the next 64 years together. Their son Martin was born in Wales and shared the next adventure of immigrating to Canada in 1962. After a few years in the small town of Braelorne as a mining electrical engineer, they relocated to Burnaby where their daughter Helen was born in 1967. Jack worked for BC Tel, later Telus, as an electrical engineer until his retirement in 1993. Never one to be idle, Jack started and operated his own business Teltek Services until this past summer. His warmth and humour created a loyalty from his clients and many friendships.
Jack had two passions, ballroom dancing which he shared with Jean from the young age of 15, and later flying where he loved to take to the air and teach others the joy of the open sky. Jack and Jean touched many lives through dance, from all those that watched them grace the floor to the many students they taught over 26 years as instructors for the City of Burnaby.
Anyone who met Jack was richer for the experience and will remember the gleam in his eye as he shared a joke and laughed with you. He leaves behind his wife Jean, son Martin, daughter Helen, son-in-law Dave, daughter-in-law Nelia and grandson Nigel and is survived by four siblings in Wales; Edwin, Enid, Eileen and Christine.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in the new year. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jack may be made to St. Michael’s Hospice: stmichaels.bc.ca
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18