Stewart Fawdrey
July 21, 1929 - January 30, 2014
Stewart passed away in his home in Qualicum Beach on Thursday, January 30th at the age of 84. He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Dorothy in 2008. Stewart leaves to mourn his passing; sons, Glenn (Kerry), Donn (Betty) and Briann; daughter, Jannis (Ken); grandchildren, Kevin, Michelle, Scott, Bert, Megan, Erin, and Chelsea; great granddaughter, Addison; great grandsons, Kayden and Owen; brother, Aleck; and sister, Kit.
Stewart was born in North Vancouver on July 21, 1929 to Norman and Della Fawdrey. He grew up in Lynn Valley moving to Peace River with his family at age 16. A year later, Stewart moved back to North Vancouver to look after his maternal grandmother, Maud.
He worked cutting roadside grass with a horse and mower – giving all of his earnings to help support his grandmother. He lost this job when the municipality purchased a tractor for the job, so he did odd jobs, landscaping and cutting firewood, using a one-horse wagon for delivery. It was during one of these jobs that he met Dorothy. They were married October 10, 1952, and moved to a small farm in Maple Ridge.
In early 1960’s, Stewart brought his growing family to Errington, where his love of the heavy horses, particularly Percheron’s, allowed him to make a living doing what he enjoyed. He always used the heavy horses in the course of daily work and in the running of the family farm.
He worked for many years first with Kirk Evergreens, then BC Forest Products with his horses thinning trees and selling the firewood. From 1973 – 1985 he supplied firewood to Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, Rathtrevor Park and occasionally Sproat Lake, Taylor Arm and Little Qualicum Provincial Parks. 1985 he worked for the Provincial Forest Service and McMillan Bloedel doing forest stand improvement and thinning. In 1989 he used his horses to pull fibre optic cable across from Port Alberni to Coombs, pulling the cable up old logging roads from a spool on a spool truck.
Some of Stewart’s many joys were when he would take the grade one students from Errington School for a hay ride which he did for 30 years, he was also active with Coombs Fall Fair which he also attended for 30 years and to a lesser extent was involved with Silver Spur Riding Club. In late August he would give wagon rides to the elderly at Trillium Lodge and at Rathtrevor Park Farm Days put on by the provincial government. 1n the early 1980’s he met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at Malaspina College (now VIU). He was there with his horses showcasing the horse / forestry program @ VIU
Later in 1989, Stewart and Dorothy moved from Vancouver Island to Lister in the Creston Valley. Here they made many friends and Stewart continued on farming with his beloved horses. After Dorothy’s passing in 2008, Molly his yellow lab has been his constant and faithful companion. In December, Stewart left Creston to stay with his daughter in Qualicum Beach. Stewart passed away peacefully at home with ever-faithful Molly at his side. His kind heart and gentle nature will be missed by all.
Stewart’s family would like to thank his many friends, both on Vancouver Island and the Creston Valley for their care and support. He has shared many good memories and laughs with these friends “consequently” we would like to ensure they are acknowledged. Stewart’s family is very grateful for the care and support of so many people including Dr. John Rieger, Oceanside Hospice Society, Oceanside Health Nursing and Sue’s Senior Care.
There will be no service by Stewart's request. In lieu of flowers, please consider honouring Stewart's memory with a donation in his name to the Canadian Cancer Society, Unit E - 777 Poplar Street, Nanaimo, BC V9S 2H7