CHARLES ALEXANDER EDWARD ENGLAND

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CHARLES ALEXANDER EDWARD ENGLAND Charles England, 88, passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 5:45 a.m. at the St. Norbert Personal Care Home. Charles was born August 23, 1927 at 404 Young Street, Winnipeg, MB, the only son of Charles Whitten Farrar England and Mary Ann Gall England (nee Morrison), both recent immigrants from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He attended St. John's Technical High School, but ended his education prematurely to join the Canadian Army and volunteer to go overseas. Thankfully, the war ended soon after. He then moved to the Royal Canadian Navy and later served in the Korean War as an engineer aboard a number of different ships. On July 31, 1953 he married Patricia Lindsay Thom at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Winnipeg, and they moved to Victoria, B.C. and raised a family. In 1968 they moved again to Ottawa where Charles continued to serve until retiring in 1971 with the rank of Chief Petty Officer, 2nd Class. Shortly afterwards he began working for Canada Post. In 1973 he took the opportunity to move his family one last time back to his hometown of Winnipeg. He worked for the City of Winnipeg as a supervisor and was nicknamed "Colonel Potter" for his curmudgeonly but soft-hearted demeanor. In 1988 he retired to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren. Charles was predeceased by his wife Patricia in 1998 and his son-in-law William (Bill) Henders in 2013. Charles is survived by his children Patricia Gayle Henders, Wendy Kendall (Dale), Robin Schaeffer (Daniel), Terri Butson (George), and James England (Kelly), his grandchildren Shannon Henders, Sarah Iverson, Jasmine, Justin, and Victoria Schaeffer, Marcus, Alexander, and Steven Butson, Kaitlin Lord, and Jesse England, and his great-grandchildren Kendall and Evan Iverson, Michael Schaeffer, and Ainsley and Anniston Lord. At Charles' request a private family service will be held on December 12. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or Christmas Cheer Board.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 12, 2015