Patrick James Bork

BORK, Patrick James "Pat" - At the age of 81, on Friday, June 26th, 2015, in the watchful care of his family, Patrick Bork "Pat" passed away in the Halifax Infirmary, QEII. Born on October 30th, 1933, in Medstead, Sask., by parents William Anders Bork and Ann Jane (MacKenzie) Bork and later relocated to Creston, B.C., Pat didn't wait long before kicking up the small town blues. At the age of 19, Pat joined the RCN, which sparked his lifelong love of travel. It would be hard for those who knew Pat to whittle down his countless list of skills to just one, or even a couple, that defined him, but to his grandchildren he will forever be immortalized as the man who could fix anything. His official education, however, took place at Stadacona, where he met the love of his life, Rose. The two of them recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary on May 30th, though either could easily have been mistaken for young newly-weds. Pat's unquenchably curious mind propelled him to be a class-A student of the world. As a testament to his strong work ethic, while being a full-time employee at Hermes Electronics (1958-2001), he continued his education by attending evening university classes. With enough self-taught learning to best any undergraduate physicist, as well as an encyclopedic-memory of all things filed under "useless" information, there was almost no question that would leave him without an unchallengeable answer; or, at the very least, an anecdotal recollection of a nearly relevant (or not so relevant) story about his travels from around the globe. An exceptionally religious man, Pat was a devout member of St. Peter's Parish for 46 years. He served on the parish council, as a Eucharistic minister and was blessed to find both a second home and family at St. Peter's. Pat was also an accomplished musician. Unlike most, he was not satisfied with the pursuit of one or two instruments, instead taking on over a dozen through the course of his lifetime. Pat remained notably more dedicated to his piano, his fiddle, partaking in a weekly engagement with the Metro Fiddlers, and, more recently, his Les Paul electric guitar. Pat was curious, patient and understanding. Exercising these traits in his every day life is what enabled him to be such a gifted storyteller, a skillful puzzle solver, and above all, a loving and cherished husband, father, grandfather and "Crampa". Predeceased by his brother, Chris and his grandsons, Sean and Alex. Survived by wife, Rose (Kenny); children, Rosanne (Ken) Chisholm and their children Ryan (Kathleen), Emily, Johanna, Daniel and Sarah Jane; Carla (Jay) Forbes and their children Matt, Ben and Scott; Yvonne (Dave) Iles and their children Caitlin, Erin and Patrick; and Terry (Lynda) and their children Dylan and Alexandra. He is also survived by his sister, Ann Marie (Dolly) Vishloff. A quote from his yearbook states that, "He is the only man I know that could give Einstein a run for his money." Arrangements have been entrusted to A. L. Mattatall Funeral Home, 217 Portland St., Dartmouth, from where visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 1 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12 p.m. on Thursday, July 2 in Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Dartmouth. Interment will be held in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Lower Sackville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Lung Association Nova Scotia or World Vision Canada. For online condolences, please visit: www.mattatallfuneralhome.com