Walter Greavison, of Nelson, passed away at his home on December 15, 2012 . He was born on March 25, 1920 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England to parents Ernest Henry and Ina Olive Greavison. When he was seven years old his family immigrated to Canada and settled on a small farm in Slocan Park. At the height of the depression, when Walter was 14, he had to go to work to support his family due to his father’s ill health. He worked at forestry jobs in the area during summers and horse logged their land in winters with his brother, cutting ties for the railroad with a crosscut saw.
In the spring of 1941 he enlisted in the army, scoring the highest mark in the region on his exams, and was offered an officer’s education but refused as his gentle nature made him prefer to be an enlisted man. He saw action in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Sadly he lost his brother, Flying Officer Ronald Greavison to the war effort. At the end of the war he returned home and continued to work forestry and labour jobs. Walter also worked in road construction, dam construction and mining as a driller and powderman. At one time he was a guard at the Crescent Valley school where he met his wife, Rose, the teacher at the school. They married in 1951, settling in Crescent Valley for a short time before buying a home and small chicken farm in Nelson.
After his retirement in 1980, Walter was able to indulge in two of his favourite hobbies woodworking and helping his children and grandchildren. He also enjoyed gardening, lovingly helping his wife Rose with her many flower and vegetable gardens every year. Walter was also a lifelong, avid fisherman, whether trolling the main lake for Rainbows, spin casting for Kokanee, or ice fishing for trout in the winter. But his favourite was fly fishing the Slocan pool or the area’s mountain lakes using flies he tied himself. He spent many wonderful weekends and holidays with his children and grandchildren gardening, swimming, camping, hunting and fishing; providing them with invaluable lessons on true sportsmanship, small scale farming, and care of the land.
Walter is survived by sons Ronald (Nadya), Raymond, daughter Elizabeth McDermott; grandchildren Erik & Curtis Greavison, Rob & Jenny McDermott; and sisters Marjorie and Doris. He was predeceased by Rose, his wife of 61 years, in March of this year. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 20 at 1:00 pm at Thompson Funeral Home, 613 Ward Street, Nelson, BC. The family would like to thank all the health care workers who helped Walter through his illness this last year.
As an expression of sympathy donations may be made to The Canadian Cancer Society, BC and Yukon Division, Box 292, Nelson, BC V1L 5P9
Online condolences may be expressed at www.thompsonfs.ca. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Thompson Funeral Service Ltd.