William James Lowry

Lowry – William James, known to all as Bill, passed away on February 2, 2016 the way he would have wanted, in his own home, in James Bay and in his sleep.  Bill was born in Victoria, BC, in a house in James Bay on May 3, 1927, the youngest of 6 children.

Bill is predeceased by his wife, Pat and survived by his twins, Theresa (Mark) and Tom (Brigitte); his grandchildren, Jenna, Brandon and Nicholas; his last surviving sibling, brother, David and many nieces and nephews.

A life time resident of James Bay, he lived his full 88 years and 9 months of life living in only three homes on two James Bay Streets.  Bill met his wife Pat who moved to Victoria from Penticton, living in the house next door to the Lowry family home.  They married in 1959 and bought the last empty lot in James Bay at that time, building a house, where Bill has lived until his passing.  An avid gardener, Bill worked for the City of Victoria Parks Department for 37 years and his family was proud to tell people that he never had one sick day during those 37 years.  He was a hard worker, retiring from the city in 1987, enjoying 29 years of retirement.  Bill spent many weekends fishing off of the Dallas Road waterfront in his little wooden boat, he was also a founding member of the James Bay Anglers Association.  Bill was the longest life-long member of the Army Navy Air Force Veterans Club Unit #12 for 67+ years.  He enjoyed his Sunday beers and music, listening to records with his buddy and neighbour Earl Schmidt and his Friday afternoons spent at the “Little Legion” where he would enjoy a beer and talk old times with his friends, including Art Davies, his best man at his wedding.  Bill was a gentle soul, liked very much by everyone.  He lived simply but his life was rich in everything that mattered, family and friends.  He will be greatly missed by his family, all of his legion friends, his neighbours, his four legged friends, who will miss his dog cookie offerings while on his “walks” to the end of the street twice a day and all who were recipients of the seasonal cruise ship schedule, which he would handout while sitting and enjoying the ocean view.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, February 19^th at McCall’s Downtown, Johnson & Vancouver Streets with a reception to follow at 1:00 pm at the Royal Canadian Legion, Public Service Branch # 127, the “Little Legion” , 514 Government Street. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC SPCA at http://www.spca.bc.ca/support/other-ways-to-give/

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall’s Funeral Home
www.mccallbros.com

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