Obituary – Basil Stanley Dowd, 80

January 10th, 1929 – October 29th, 2009

Basil Dowd was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta, the eldest in a family of nine children. He spent his early years mainly in the Peace River farming area, his boyhood spanning the ‘Dirty Thirties’ of the Depression, when even spare paper was hard to come by. He used to eagerly wait for each month’s calendar page so there would be something to draw on – He would fill every inch of it. For two especially tough years he and three siblings had to be placed in a convent boarding school. He was out on his own in his young teens, yet still managed to complete his high school education, early on developing the self-reliance which became such a strong part of his character. In 1948 he came to Fort Nelson, hiring on with the Canadian army as a parts manager. Several years later he took on the job of gravel-crew foreman, moving camp all along the Alaska Highway with his team of operators, equipment, cooks, portable mess hall, tents and all. In 1959 he attended the Okanagan wedding of his best friend Bern (PeeWee) Bartholet,where he met his future wife, the bride’s sister Marian Eraut. Both men brought their new wives back up north, and the two couples began their married life in maintenance camps on the Alaska Highway. When their two daughters appeared on the scene, Basil and Marian settled for some years in Fort Nelson before moving to Summit Lake, where he officially held the title of Superintendant of Highway Maintenance, and unofficially a host of other titles: he kept the maintenance camp up and running through freezeups, organized recreation like curling bonspiels, bingo, movies, etc, attended scores of accident scenes along the highway, aided police in everything from aircraft crashes to fugitive hunts, managed annual flood emergencies – Generally was called up at all hours for anything and everything that went on in a 200 mile radius. In between he was devoted father, always finding time to take the kids hot-springing, hiking, camping, berry-picking and bear-watching, and every winter keeping a section of Summit Lake clear of snow for them to ice-skate. In 1980 Basil and family moved back to Fort Nelson, from where he continued his work as superintendant until accepting the position of Project Manager for the Department of Public Works, where he was responsible for the section of highway from Wonowon to the Yukon border. He retired in 1989, and afterwards enjoyed working around the acreage in Fediw Sub until 2004, when he and Marian decided to try a warmer climate and moved to Osoyoos. When Marian died in 2008 and a heart condition suddenly slowed Basil down, he relocated again, returning to Fort Nelson to live with his daughter Dawn. He spent his last years relaxing with beloved Louis L’ Amour books, and in his final hours said, “ I’ve had a good life.” Basil leaves to mourn: daughters Dawn Dowd and Trish Croal, sonsin- law Alvin Smith and Brice Willis, grandchildren Lyle(Lisa) and Tara (Chad) Middleton, great-grandson Karl, sisters Bonnie(Ken) and Donna(Perry) Piper, brothers Gale(Sharon), Dal(Elaine), Wayne, Norman(Audrey) an Lance, brother-and sister-in-law Bern and Dolores Bartholet, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife Marian, brother Ross and parents Stan and Amelia Dowd. Basil’s ashes will be interred in Dawson Creek at his parents’ grave site. A memorial gathering of family and friends will take place there in 2010. The family of Basil Dowd would like to thank the nurses at the Fort Nelson General Hospital for their kindness to Dad during his final days: what a wonderful group of ladies.

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