HARRY JOHN WILSON -

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HARRY JOHN WILSON 1927 - 2015 In the early morning of Saturday, May 30 at Golden West Centennial Lodge, Harry Wilson, aged 88 passed away. His beloved wife, Audrey, predeceased him on March 1 of this year. He was born in London, England on April 17, 1927 to Gerald and Freda Wilson. His early years were spent in the village of Colchester surrounded by a large extended family. At the beginning of the Second World War, Harry and his sister Hazel were evacuated to Canada as part of the Children's Overseas Reception Board (C.O.R.B.) program. Landing in Winnipeg, he was fostered by the Leslie family in Norwood Flats. There on Claremont Avenue he met two neighbour boys, Frank Reith and Dick Tuxworth, who became his lifelong friends. Also, living only one block away was his future wife, Audrey. After the war he reunited with his family back in England, joined the British Navy sailing to Australia on the HMS Victorious. For economic reasons, he returned to Canada in 1947 and became a Canadian citizen. He joined Blue Cross, which led to a 25 plus year career with Manitoba Health. He married Audrey (Caughey) in 1961. They shared a love of a good joke, dogs, bird watching, gardens, curling and their two children, Heather and Ken. He found his dream house in Westwood in 1969 and spent 30 years there. He was known for his beautiful gardens, stained glass lamps and ability to fix anything. Harry also loved the family cottage at Victoria Beach. He took every opportunity to go up there and putter around in the yard, watch the sunsets, golf and visit with family and friends. He will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Heather (Bruce) Burnett and son Ken Wilson, granddaughters Alexandra and Laura Burnett; all of Winnipeg; sisters Hazel Sands of Nassau, Bahamas and Julia Townes (Don VanderPloeg) of White Rock, BC; brother-in-law Glen (Marg) Caughey of Toronto; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. Many thanks to all the staff on the 2nd floor at GWCL for their wonderful care. In accordance with his wishes, no funeral will be held. Private family interment will take place in the near future. Donations can be made to the charity of your choice. For those who wish to sign the online Guest Book please visit our website. CHAPEL LAWN www.chapellawn.ca 885-9715

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 06, 2015