Our beloved Captain passed away last Friday after a short illness. He died as he lived; quietly, with dignity, and surrounded by the people he loved most in the world.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jane, his brother Ernie & his sister-in-law Kathy, his daughters Karen, Heather (Mitchell) and Alison (Chris), grandchildren – Danielle, Jillian, Kali Jane, John, Alice, Eric Edward, Zuzu, & Florence, niece Tanis, nephew Alan(Cheetal), and many more beloved family members and friends.
Ed was born to Ernest and Edith Carley in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The family came to Victoria in 1952. His childhood memories included Scouting, hockey, and waterskiing.
Ed kept a lifelong log of his flights as a commercial airline pilot from 1963 until his retirement in 2004. Throughout his career, he was proud to fly with the Victoria Flying Services, Pacific Western Airlines, Canadian Airlines, and finally Air Canada.
Ed and Jane married in 1967 and moved to Spruce Grove, Alberta in 1971 where they raised their family. He was a devoted husband and father who built backyard skating rinks, doll furniture & playhouses. He repaired sports equipment, tea sets, and bruised knees. As a family, they skied, skated, fished, camped, travelled, and more.
In 1992 Ed and Jane moved back to Victoria. In his retirement, he became Captain of their boat, the Dunfly’n and they spent many hours together on the waters of the Salish Sea. He valued his memberships with the Royal Canadian Legion, Capital City Yacht Club and the BC Aviation Museum. He was an avid sports fan, enjoyed reading history, and followed politics closely. He had a cheeky sense of humour and was always sending a new cartoon or joke to family and friends.
He loved his grandchildren dearly and was generous with his time and wisdom. He will be forever missed and always remembered.
The Funeral Service was conducted in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens by Reverend Hilde Seal from St. John’s United Church on June 2, 2021 at 2pm.
A recording of the service can be viewed by clicking the image below.
Tributes, if desired, may be offered to the Canadian Cancer Society https://www.cancer.ca/
Condolences and happy memories may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
22 Responses
I am so sorry to hear of Ed’s passing. Please accept my condolences to Jane and all the family and friends. Ed was very well liked & respected by everyone who knew him. I had the pleasure of flying with Ed on many occasions out of YXD. Ed had a great personality and always talked lovingly about Jane & his family. I am lucky I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Ed!! May he RIP
Dearest Auntie Jane, Karen, Heather, Mitchell, Ali, Chris and all of the Carley family,
I have a lifetime of memories of Ed thanks to my parents, Ron & Pam Vincent’s relationship with the Carley family. My mom became friends with Jane when they were young girls. I believe it was Jane’s parents & my grandparents who found each other first. None the less, the friendship grew & continued through life’s twists & turns, laughter & tears.
Through the years, The Carley family became my family. Always welcoming with the best hugs & fun to be around. Ed & I shared a passion for aviation. I admired & respected him greatly for the loving husband he was to Jane and the devoted father & grandfather he was to his beautiful daughters & grandchildren. He was a man of great integrity, intellect, wisdom & wit. I loved him & will miss him. My heart goes out to you all during this very difficult time.
Fly high, Captain Carley -aka Uncle Ed…and rest easy until we meet again.
with much love from us all.
Coral, Paul, Christopher, Marcus & Mitchell xoxoxoxoxo