Baldev, known as Baradad (Big Dad) to all, passed away peacefully in his home with his wife by his side and surrounded by family on June 30th at the age of 86. Baldev is survived by his wife Beant; siblings Karnail, Parkash and Sukhdev; sons Cece (Nikki) and Resham (Kamaljit); daughter Rano (Parmjit); grandchildren Kevin, Mena, Shaun, Anita, Ruby, Eisha, Sonny, Jason and Harman; great grandchildren Kaymunn, Karma and
Jasmin. Baldev was predeceased by his mother Harnam Kaur; father Katar Singh; brother Kundan Singh and sister Lajiya Kaur.
He was born in Chak Kataru, Punjab, India on February 2, 1931. He married Beant in 1949. In 1955, Baldev came to Canada to set down roots for his family. Baldev originally came to Victoria and began work in Port Alberni. After a few months, he moved to work at the 100 Mile house in Williams Lake, where he and 4 of his friends perfected the art of roti making. He then moved to Kamloops where he worked at the Sevena Timber Mill for 3 years before finally settling in Victoria along side his uncle Tara. In 1962, he moved back to India for a year to be with his wife and 3 children. He headed back to Victoria in 1963 where he began working at the Sooke Mill, where he retired in 1988 after 25 years. A year later, the rest of the family followed him to Canada. One accomplishment that gave him tremendous pride was being able to retire early at the age of 57 due to his work ethic. During his retirement, he received a gold watch and diamond ring that until his final days he showed off proudly before passing them down to his grandchildren.
Baldev was a man that will be remembered for his strength, character, love and determination above all else. His strength shone through during his decline as he wouldn’t allow a change in routine and lived life the way he wanted until the end. His love for his family, especially his grandchildren who he adored like no other, was his happiness. He brought respect to the Bhalla name (and even had a street named after him, Baldev Pl.) and his entire family is proud to have had such an amazing person at the helm. Not only will you be remembered but your presence will live on in the generations of Bhalla’s to come that will have a chance at a wonderful life because of your sacrifices. We will love and miss you always.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Renal Unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital, especially Dr. Hargrove who made sure his last wishes were granted. A warm thank you to all of the home care nurses that came to support him.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Kidney Foundation in Mr. Bhalla’s name.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Manjeet pabla
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Jamna Sharma & Family Our most heartfelt condolences to the Bhalla Family. I remember him very fondly as he was a part of my childhood. He was a regular visitor to our home as he was from the same village in India as our father and therefore he was family! RIP!
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Jamna Sharma (Né Ram) Our most heartfelt condolences to the family. I remember him from my childhood…he was a regular visitor to our home as he was from the same village in India as our father, Banta Biru Ram (Bali) and that was a very strong bond…a bond of love and respect that still lives on today. RIP.
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Mark We will miss you
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Mark You are going to be mist
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Barbara Williams and Bud Moe We offer our heartfelt sympathy to Jenifer’s family. We were honored to know Jen, as for many years she lovingly and devotedly cared for our little dogs, and enriched our lives by her very presence. Her kind, gentle and gracious nature touched us deeply, and these Irreplaceable gifts she gave us will be treasured always.
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Parm Johal Big respect to Baradad, he will always be remembered and all the memories of him with be cherished.
We will miss you. X x
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Christina Dhesi Such a great man, like all Bhalla men. He will be always missed, but not forgotten. Much love to you and the family.
My condolences to maim ji, cece, Rasham and the rest of the family. Unfortunately I didn’t find out about Mamaji until yesterday. I have such vivid memories of him when we first came to Canada. We didn’t know very many people and we were always welcomed at your home on Cecelia. We practically visited every Sunday. Cece, Resham and Rano were young at that time. I enjoyed his sense of humour and kind words. He will live in everyone’s heart for years to come. I am sure he is at peace up in heaven. May God give your family strength to deal with his loss. He will be fondly missed.