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A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project
In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
ELLIS, Cecil George (Bud) - Buds Parents were married in Prince George in 1919- Douglas Donovan (Don) and Sarah Jeanette (Nettie) settled in Vanderhoof after WW 1. Don had been a sniper in the 47th infantry battalion. After the war Don and Nettie took up Homestead under the soldiers settlement plan. They had two sons Douglas Kenneth (Bus) and Cecil George (Bud). Times were very tough in early 1920s with extremely severe winters. The family had some good times but eventually had to give up the Homestead and move to Kelowna. Don worked many logging jobs, trucking jobs and as a maintenance man for the city of Kelowna. Good fortune came his way when he was hired as a Game Warden in 1939 and was stationed in the city of Kamloops. Bus and Bud finished school in Kamloops both had several jobs and later Bus first and Bud next joined the Navy. Both served on active duty in the North Atlantic on Corvettes. Bud was very fortunate and was hired by the BC game department April 1, 1947 as a predatory animal hunter. Bud’s job was to look after ranchers and farmers complaints of cougars bears wolves etc. Bud enjoyed this time from 1947 until 1950 working closely with his father in Kamloops. Don transferred to Kelowna in the spring of 1950 and retired in 1965. Bud’s dad died in Kelowna in 1977. In 1952 Bud transferred to Pouce Coupe and soon met Patricia Gregg in Dawson Creek. Bud wasted no time and married Patsy, he always said it was -40 with a foot of snow that April 1 wedding day but from his grin and the fact it was April fools day the kids were never really sure. Three sons followed in rapid succession; Donovan, Patrick and Douglas. Bud and Patsy had 10 good years in the North again doing predator control, mostly wolves in those days and his territory stretched over 600 miles all the way to the Yukon border. In 1962 Bud packed up the family and took a transfer to Cranbrook. His predator control responsibilities again included a lot of Bear and Cougar complaints. He had replaced the retiring Game Warden in Cranbrook so this posting also included more enforcement and conservation work. Bud was busy and thoroughly enjoyed exploring his beloved East Kootenay back country and getting to know the local outdoor enthusiasts. A move to Moyie lake in 1980 saw Bud commuting to Creston more and handling complaints of Elk and Deer damaging orchards. The Creston commutes were usually to conduct PR work trying to keep people happy and Bud rose to the task as a then skilled Conversation Officer. After 37 years of the best job really anyone could ever ask for, Bud retired in 1984 at Moyie lake where he and Patsy became very active volunteering to support many community improvement projects. After over 25 years in their Moyie dream home Bud and Patsy moved to Joseph Creek Village in Cranbrook. Bud had a fair bit of heart trouble starting in 2002 and went through heart surgery at foothills hospital in Calgary getting a new valve and a single bypass in 2006. His heart held up well through many years of cutting, hauling and heating the Moyie home with wood and in the end it was really just old age that caused him to breath in one more time than he breathed out. At the time of his passing , with family by his side in Prince George, Patsy still lives fully independently in their Joseph Creek home. Patsy will be 90 in February.
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For Posterity's Sake 
