|
In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
SMITH, John Eric Clapham - Born in Victoria to Don and Ivy (nee Clapham) Smith, and married to Karen Irene Torkko (deceased 2021) in April 1964, John is survived by their two sons, Kevin (Kim) and Ian (Ken). John grew up in Fernwood and Oak Bay, graduating from Oak Bay High. He served a shipwright's apprenticeship at HMCS Naden before beginning a career as a draftsman in the early 1960s, ultimately joining the Department of Highways bridge unit in 1968. A lasting legacy of his drafting career was a simple, cost-effective welded-pipe bridge railing design that was utilized all over the province, the original example of which can still be seen on the Tillicum Road bridge over Gorge Narrows. A member of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club for 72 years, his longtime passion was 32-foot sailboat Ocean Gypsy, which he built in the family backyard and launched in 1972. He earned his pilot's license in the early 60s and pursued scuba diving in the 1980s. Always involved in some creative or home improvement project, John was a lifelong model railroader as well as a skilled woodworker; he enjoyed any kind of building, renovation or repair work, and remarked that he was always happiest with a hammer in his hand. The family requests donations to hospice or the BC Cancer Agency in lieu of flowers. (The Victoria Times Colonist 11 Jul 2025)
|
