Gordon Peter Griffiths

Griffiths - Gordon Peter On October 24, 2013, Gordon 'Peter' Griffiths (age 86) Died in Qualicum Beach, B.C. He was born on May 7, 1927 in Cardiff Wales. Peter immigrated to Ocean Falls, B.C., Canada with his parents, Harry and Dorothy (Wood) Griffiths in 1929. There he spent his school years. He married his beloved, Lois Killin in July 1947. Peter attended the University of British Columbia and graduated in 1949 as a Mechanical Engineer. He and Lois were happily married for almost 30 years. Sadly, Lois predeceased Peter in 1977. After several years, Peter met (Bobby) Jean Bemister, and they were married in 1981. They too had many wonderful years together - travelling and caring for their well loved pussy cats, but she also predeceased Peter in 2005. Peter started his long career as a respected papermaker in Ocean Falls for Crown Zellerbach, then worked in Port Alberni for MacMillan Bloedel, and retired in Powell River from Weyerhauser in 1991. As a professional, Peter was honourable, clear thinking, and dedicated. When he retired, this was said of him "Peter has led by example and with exemplary work ethics - he will be remembered as a legend and a larger-than-life figure in paper making." After his retirement he became a paper making consultant. This gave him the opportunity to travel to many interesting parts of the world ranging from Tasmania to China. As a person, Peter was a gentle man. He was dignified, thoughtful, curious, and funny. His special sense of humour was with him until the end. As a father he was wonderful - strong, sensitive, fair, and always kind. Peter is survived by his daughter Nora (Doug) DeVito of Qualicum Beach, his sons Robert of Dallas,Texas, and Kelly (Valerie) of Powell River, step-daughters Caroline (Geoff) Bedford of Sechelt, and Barbara (Bryan) Dyer of Maple Ridge and his sister Colleen (Peter) Pelletier of Qualicum Bay. He is also survived by his grandchildren Deena Carl, Jon DeVito, Samantha, Sydney, Sarah, and Savanah Griffiths, and Jennifer Drygalski , as well as six great grandchildren. His brother John Michael predeceased him in Ocean Falls in 1933. Family was very important to Peter as were the many friends he remained in touch with through letters and phone calls. In 2008 Peter made a return trip to Wales with his daughter, for a reunion with his Uncle Ted, whom he hadn't seen in 70 years. They enjoyed the warm hospitality of many cousins he was meeting for the first time. This trip meant a lot to him. No service by request. For those wishing to honour his memory, donations in Peter's name to the BC SPCA www.spca.bc.ca would be appreciated. Special thanks to Dr. Pieter Roussouw. The family would like to express their gratitude to all the staff at Qualicum Manor for the loving and compassionate care they showed dad during his stay there. First Memorial Nanaimo 250-754-8333




This obituary was originally published in the Alberni Valley Times (Port Alberni, BC).