Judge Raymond James Neville

Raymond James Neville of Weyburn, Saskatchewan passed away on Sunday, March 30th, 2014 at the age of 87 years. Dad was born in Kerrobert, SK to Janet and Allen Neville on April 8th, 1926. Dad was predeceased by his parents, Allen and Janet Neville; his wife, Jessie Neville, in 2009; his brother, Glen Neville and sister, Merle Wilson. He is survived by his daughter, Kelly (Charles) Eddy of Weyburn, SK and their children, Reuben Eddy and Briana (Willie) Hale of Dickinson, North Dakota and their children, Autumn and Milo; son, Neal (Lorelei) Neville and children, Tara-Lee and Keala of Regina, SK. Dad attended school in Regina graduating from Regina Central Collegiate in 1944. He later attended the University of Saskatchewan graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1947 and a Bachelor of Law Degree in 1950. Dad had followed in his own father`s footsteps by becoming a lawyer and later a Judge. Dad practiced law in Weyburn for 14 years before being appointed to the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan in 1964 and sitting on the bench for 27 years. Dad was a very community minded individual and some of his contributions included being President of the Credit Union League of Saskatchewan, the first Chairman of the Weyburn Comprehensive School Board, Member of the Weyburn Library Board, President of both Weyburn Kinsmen and K40 Boards, President of Weyburn Golf Club, Secretary of Weyburn Community Park, and a member of the Weyburn Badminton Club. Some of the activities Dad enjoyed were reading, travelling, golf, curling, badminton, bird watching, and enjoying the summer afternoons in the shade of his back yard. He especially loved spending the summers at his cottage at White Bear Lake. There was nothing he enjoyed more than sitting out on the deck overlooking the lake and reading a good book. He would also enjoy spending time down at the dock swimming, canoeing, and water skiing. Upon retirement he and Mum travelled to many different parts of the world such as Scotland, Ireland, France, Cuba, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. They also discovered a very special vacation spot in Maui where they wintered yearly and met many new friends who they became very close to. Dad was a firm believer in education and took great pride in both his children attaining degrees from his Alma mater, The University of Saskatchewan. Dad always took an interest in his children and grandchildren`s lives. Whether it was coaching, driving them to various activities, or simply calling to see how they were doing, he was always an interested father and Papa. When Dad did call or have a conversation with you, he rarely settled for one word answers. If you didn`t provide enough information, the lawyer in him would rise up and you would be grilled until he got the answers he wanted. There was no such thing as a short conversation with Dad. In his retirement years Dad thoroughly enjoyed his morning ``coffee with the boys`` and would come back with the latest ``scoop``on what was going on in town. After Mum`s passing, there was a definite void in Dad`s life. Thankfully, he had a cocker spaniel named Sammy who became his special companion right up until Sammy`s passing this year. In the end, Dad himself said ``I`ve lived a good life`` and with that he was ready to go and join Mum. The family wishes to give special thanks to the palliative care doctors, nurses and staff at the Weyburn General Hospital for their excellent care and comfort provided to Dad. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, April 7, 2014 at 1:00PM from Grace United Church, Weyburn, SK with Reverend M. Barnabas officiating. Interment will follow at Green Acres Memorial Gardens, Weyburn, SK. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ray’s memory would be appreciated and may be made to the Weyburn Humane Society.