JOHN BELAN -

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JOHN BELAN 1917 - 2006 It is with sadness that the family announces the passing of our Uncle John. Peacefully, on November 19, 2006, after a brief illness, Uncle John passed away at the age of 89 years, at the Seven Oaks Hospital. John was predeceased by his loving wife Anne in 1979; sister Mary; sister-in-law Millie Pickard; brothers-in-law, Tom Nazer, Peter Bodnar, Glen Pickard and Joe McIntyre. He was also predeceased by his parents and mother-in-law. John is survived and will be sadly missed by sisters-in-law, Lil Bodnar and Frankie McIntyre, as well as his numerous nieces, nephews and countless friends throughout Canada and the United States. John will be missed by longtime friends Len Smith and Russ Bodnar who were always there to support him in many ventures. John was born in Winnipeg on March 9, 1917 and lived his entire life in the North End. If he had a good listener, John took pride in telling you his stories about his youth, the 1930s, the founding of Tobans, the Depression, his friends, the farm work and the hard labour to make ends meet. His war-time stories were particularly vivid, filled with both emotion and humour. We enjoyed many an hour, Cuba Libre in hand, listening with deep interest to his wonderful recollections. John married Anne Bodnar in 1939. Shortly after this, John felt it was his patriotic duty and enlisted in the military service. He served with the RCAF during the Second World War. John was stationed in England and flew in many missions as a flight wireless radio operator. After the war, John returned to Winnipeg and his wife Anne. At this time he began working at the CPR and later went on to work for Canada Post, working as a clerk and eventually retiring from Elmwood Postal Station as the Head Station Master in 1980. John enjoyed an extremely active and varied retirement. His passion for fishing and golf took him to many parts of Canada and the World. Golf holidays were especially his favourites. Trips to Portugal, Spain, Dominican Republic and to the Western and Southern States of the U.S. were the highlights of John's retired years. Good friend Len Smith helped to make many of these trips possible for Uncle John. In recent years, John's passion for golf was most notably evident when he proceeded to buy golf clubs for and getting his grand-nieces, grand-nephews and children of friends interested in playing the game. This is a much cherished and lasting remembrance from them of their Uncle John. Also, over the last few years Uncle John and Russ have collected hundreds of golf clubs. They refurbished them if required and made up complete sets of clubs with bags. These were presented through Sport Manitoba and Kid Sport to underprivileged kids throughout Manitoba. Uncle John also provided the kids with special golf balls from his very own collection. Not only did golf and fishing keep John busy but bowling and also carpentry jobs like his cherished doll houses, put many a smile on the recipient of his creations. John was also an active player and member of Bel Acres Golf and Country Club for over 23 years. Uncle John has also been a 48 year continuous member of the Royal Canadian Legion West Kildonan Branch. John will be deeply missed by many and remembered for his hard work, his good nature, his kindness, his honesty, his friendship and always, his humour. The family would like to thank the many visitors and well wishers who visited Uncle John and a special thanks to the care givers and staff at the Seven Oaks Hospital. Special thanks to friend Russ Bodnar for his care and compassionate support during Uncle John's illness and for being such a great buddy over the years. If family and friends so desire, donations may be made to a charity of one's choice or the Salvation Army. At John's request, cremation has taken place and a celebration of John's life will be held on Monday, November 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cropo Funeral Chapel, 1442 Main St. with reception following. Vichnaya Pamyat CROPO FUNERAL CHAPEL 586-8044

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 25, 2006