JOHN JAMES (JIM) PRENTICE

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JOHN JAMES (JIM) PRENTICE Surrounded by family, and in the embrace of the God who nurtured and sustained him, John James (Jim) Prentice has been reunited with his wife, Sadie. After a long struggle with illness, he passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 23, 2002. There will be a celebration of his life on Wednesday, May 29, at 2:00 p.m. in the Church of St. Patrick and St. Jude, 612 Valour Rd. Long-time friend the Rev. Aubrey Hemminger will preside. Friends and family will gather at Thompson Funeral Home, Tuesday May 28 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Last weekend, as he celebrated his 87th birthday, Jim noted that he had been very fortunate in his life, and he expressed his thanks to God for the many gifts he had enjoyed. Top of the list was his marriage to Sadie. Married in 1942, they had enjoyed life together until her death in 1988. He enjoyed their four children and their families, Judith and Gordon Hall, Rick and Jana Prentice, Bill and Joyce Prentice, and Cathy and Ben Schwendemann and our special friend Loreen Jackson. His family was always a very important part of his life. Pictures of his grandchildren (11 of them!!) and their families, Sandra and Gary, Kara and Brian, Stanley and Paula, Frederick, Jeremiah and Sarah, Stirling, James and Amy, Trevor, Kaleigh, Sarah and Elizabeth; and great-grandchildren (five more!!), Chelsea, Richard, Kristin, Kieran, and MacKinley. A great many nieces and nephews will also miss their Uncle Jim. Born in 1915, Jim was one of four children. But, in recent years, he would sadly note that he was the last one left - Nelson, Margaret, and George, his brothers and sister; as well as his parents, William and Margaret Prentice, had all gone some years ago. Jim was a life long supporter of St. Judes (later St. Patrick and St. Jude) Anglican Church. He sang in the Church Choir until his health began to fail. He served as Church Warden, Treasurer, Auditor, as well as being a member of the Select Vestry. The Church and his Christian faith were integral parts of his life. Some of his favourite memories were of his Scouting Days in the St. Judes 11th Winnipeg Scouts and Rovers. In later years, he was a regular in the Chapel at the Deer Lodge Centre and rejoiced when the new chapel opened late last year. For 47 years, Jim worked at Grain Insurance and Guarantee. Starting out as "the kid who cleaned the ink wells," he retired as Secretary-Treasurer and Comptroller. Although he rarely talked about it, Jim was proud to have served in the R.C.A.F. during the Second World War. "It was something we had to do. . .", he said in a quiet moment. He taught navigation in the Commonwealth Air Training Plan School in Regina, SK, served with 10BR in Gander, NF, and with the Personnel Centre in Ottawa, ON. He was discharged on the day of Judiths birth. He had a great love of choral music. Throughout his life, Jim always found a mens choir amongst which he could sing. He fondly remembered his time with the choirs that have grown into the Winnipeg Male Chorus. Jim was very fond of the staff of T7 in the Deer Lodge Centre, especially Cindy and Kim and the volunteers at Chads. To celebrate his, friends could give a gift to the Childrens Hospital Research Foundation, the Lung Association, or the Deer Lodge Chapel Fund. One of his friends noted that we were all the richer for having known him.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 28, 2002