Obituary of Johan Bjornoy

Johan was born in Borgund, Norway on August 22nd, 1925 to Hans and Ida Bjornoy. He was their oldest child, followed by Olav, Inghild, Rudolf, Gunnlaugh and Turid. In 1952 he left for Canada by ship, arriving in Halifax, then travelled by train to Vancouver. After working there for a while, he headed north in search of work, winding up in Whitehorse. That's where he met Idelle, with whom he happily spent the rest of his life. They moved to Prince George, which is where Turid was born. After a year they moved to Pouce Coupe, where Anita was born. Then it was off to Chetwynd for 4 years where Joanne and Charmaine were born. In 1963 they bought a quarter section near Pouce Coupe and built a house, where they settled down for good. Karen was born soon after to complete our family. John started working for the Department of Highways driving truck, and stayed working there for 23 years, finishing up as a foreman, building and maintaining the Heritage Hwy. John was a man of integrity, and believed in hard work and honesty. When he retired they finally had time to travel. They went to Norway, visiting his family and sightseeing, then to Jersey, Channel Islands to visit Idelle's relatives. John took up fishing, which quickly became a passion in his life. Trips to Kitimat, fishing in the river were his favorite, he missed this a lot when he was no longer able to go. John passed away on June 23,2011 with Idelle and his girls by his side. A celebration of John's life was held on Monday, July 4, 2011 at 2:00 pm at Reynars Funeral Chapel. Pauline Haycock officiated. Interment will be held at a later date. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of John to the Alzheimers Society. John was predeceased by his parents Hans & Ida Bjornoy, brother Olav, sister-in-law Birgit, sister-in-law Nansy, great niece Ida, brother-in-law Lauritz and nephew Kai. He is survived by his wife Idelle, daughters Turid (Jim Giovannini), Anita (Flemming Nielsen), Joanne (Dave Moore), Charmaine (Doug Bergeron) and Karen (Brian Babcock), grandchildren: Lindsay (Clint), Chad, Brett, Drew, Adam (Sarah), Stephanie (Craig), Danielle (Mike), Kelsey, Justin (Megan) and Staci, great grandchildren: Austin, Ethan, Yzabella, Sophia, Kylie, Alexa and Hayden. The family would like to thank Dr. Botha, Peggy and all the wonderful nurses at the hospital who took such good care of John. We thank Pauline Haycock for officiating and Tammy Simmons for her beautiful singing. Thanks also to Stella Ness and Arden Watson for putting on the tea, the staff at Reynars and all the people who brought food and flowers. Everyone's support was very much appreciated during this difficult time.