Mar 20, 1922 - Jan 26, 2018
It is with great sadness that we announce Nicholas Kray passed away on January 26, 2018, with his family at his side. He was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Betty Lou.
As a father of 6 children, Janice, Darcy (Mandy), Rod (April), Mary Lou (Scott), Dennis and Cathy (Dave), grandfather of 13, great grandfather of 18 and great great grandfather to one, he touched and mentored many lives.
Nick was born in Croatia on March 20, 1922 and moved to Canada with his parents and sister Carol in the spring of 1928 where sisters Mary, Rose, Martha and Helen and brother Emil were born (Emil passed away in 1945). In 1951, Nick built the family home in Surrey close to his childhood home and lived there until 2014 when he moved to Coldstream.
He spent time in the logging industry and commercial fishing while developing his construction skills as a building superintendent with Robinson, Doyle and Dominion Construction and in 1975, along with four partners, started Van Bourne Construction. To this day there is a legacy of his work spread across British Columbia.
He enjoyed golfing, curling, bridge, travel and was a tireless volunteer in the community as a dedicated member and leader of the Knights of Columbus, a hockey coach and a contributor to the Kidney Foundation. But most of all, his family was his first priority and to his many friends, he was always there with words of advice or to lend a helping hand using his intuitive skillset as he never believed there was a problem that he could not fix.
His kindness and sense of humour brought him much respect, a trait which he professed was earned and not attributed to title or success. He was a master of quotes, learned from those who came before him; for those that knew him well, they will remember his unique and often parting words "don't take any wooden nickels!" In so many many ways, he will be deeply missed.
Nick was very appreciative of the incredible care he received from Coldstream Meadows Retirement Community, the Hamlets and all the health care providers who made his final years more comfortable. He wanted a special thanks to go out to Dr. Boucher and Dr. Burger for the special care they provided for him.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring.