HARRY (HENRY) MITCHELL BELYEA

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HARRY (HENRY) MITCHELL BELYEA Harry Belyea passed away on Monday, December 12, 2011, at Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg. Harry is survived by his much-loved wife of 57 years, Reta (nee Robinson); sons, Wayne and Allan; daughters, Rhonda, Karen and Lisa; grandchildren, Carey, Amanda, Marie Anne, Tiffany, Josie, Silvia, Matthew, Lauren and Dilana; and a number of great-grandchildren. Harry was born on August 6, 1924, to Gladys (nee Graham) and Daniel Belyea in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a youth, Harry was active in sports and excelled at mathematics. After high school, he was employed as an intern at a small accountancy firm before volunteering for the Canadian Army in 1943. He was deployed to France as a stores clerk following D-Day but was granted compassionate leave shortly before his division (41st L.A.D.) suffered major casualties. Over the three-year period from 1941 to 1944, Harry's eldest brother Graham was lost at sea during transport to England, his other brother Allan was lost during an air raid over Germany and his father died of a heart attack shortly thereafter. When the war ended, Harry studied at the University of Manitoba and interned at the same accountancy firm where he had worked before the war. After becoming a Chartered Accountant in 1948, he worked briefly in Montreal, but soon moved back to Manitoba. Over the next eight years he worked as chief accountant and controller for small firms in Brandon and Winnipeg. In the summer of 1953, Harry met Reta and immediately fell in love. Early in their courtship, Reta declined his offer of a date because she had a stack of magazines to sell. Harry bought the lot ensuring that she was free for the evening. His persistence paid off and on February 20, 1954, they were married at the United Church in Reta's parents' town of Brigden, Ontario. Three-year old Wayne, Reta's son by a previous marriage, was ring-bearer. In 1959, their growing family moved from Winnipeg to Ottawa, Ontario where Harry was appointed Cost Analyst (later Division Chief and Director) in the Department of Defence Production (later called Supply and Services). They built a home in the suburb of Nepean and every summer enjoyed family camping trips to various parts of Canada. In 1981, Harry took early retirement. He and Reta moved full-time to their cottage property on Skootamata Lake, where they spent many enjoyable years. Harry was actively involved in the local community, serving as treasurer and director of L'Arche, a charity for people with developmental disabilities, and assisting with the launch of a local long-term care facility. In 1998, he and Reta moved back to the Ottawa area, where he participated in the Memory Project, talking to young people about his experiences in the war. He was also working on a book on this subject. He and Reta moved back to Winnipeg in 2009. Harry had a sharp mind, a sometimes silly sense of humour and a strong sense of civic duty and national pride. We will miss him. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 2011, at Glen Lawn Funeral Home, 455 Lagimodiere Blvd., Winnipeg, Manitoba. Please make a donation to the charity of your choice in lieu of flowers. Family and friends may sign a Book of Condolence at www.glenlawn.ca. Glen Lawn Funeral Home 1-204-982-7550

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 17, 2011