1945, June 3 - 2025, October 25 Bruce Duncan Wallace Bruce passed away peacefully, in Lady Minto Hospital, in the early morning of October 25th. He was 80 years old. He passed away from cardiovascular disease complicated by pneumonia. Sadly, Bruce's husband, Scott Merrick, passed away 4 days before on Oct. 21st. Bruce was born in Vancouver on June 3, 1945, where his father was stationed with the navy. After the war ended they moved back to their hometown, Edmonton AB, where Bruce grew up. Bruce received a BSc from the University of Alberta with double majors in Entomology and Philosophy. When he was in his early 20's he and his younger brother, Tim, bought matching Norton 650s motorcycles. They enjoyed happy times riding these together before Tim passed away in March 1972. Bruce moved to Calgary where he worked at William Roper Hull Home as a child care counsellor, in cottage settings for adolescents with parental problems and court referrals. He met Waltraud (Wa…

STIBBARDS, Jacalyn Grace September 21, 1954 – August 16, 2025 Family and friends of Jackie are mourning her untimely passing at her home on Saltspring Island. She was inspiring, dynamic, and vibrant; and had a heart as big as all outdoors. Jackie was predeceased by her mother Mary, father Jack, older sister Lynn, and older brother Bill. Other members of the family had gone in fairly recent times: aunts and uncles that she and her siblings were close to. In addition to a legion of good friends ranging from Vancouver Island to the Nicola Valley and beyond (Australia, Europe) she leaves behind her loving son Dylan (father Neil), sisters Tracy, Wendy, Audrey, brother Keith, and several cousins. She was also an enthusiastic and loving stepmom to Neil’s children and grandchildren. Born in Westlock Alberta, Jackie lived in Quesnel and Fort St. John in her early years before her family moved to Saltspring Island, where she graduated from Gulf Islands Senior Secondary. Movi…

Douglas Box: January 4, 1937 - September 29, 2025 Doug, “ the Bamboo Man”, passed away on September 29, three weeks after cancer surgery. He was 88 and he and his wife, Merle, had just celebrated 64 years of marriage on September 9. Doug grew up in Saskatoon but moved his family to Dawson Creek in 1966 where he worked for BC Hydro. Eventually the family made its way to Salt Spring and arrived here in 1976. Doug worked for many years as a lineman /foreman for BC Hydro but retired at age 59. He worked with a carpenter to build his home on an acreage on Thomas Road where he and Merle started their plant nursery business. Doug’s passion was propagating and growing plants. He became fascinated with bamboo, and he grew and sold specimens from his property, the Bamboo Ranch, for twenty years. He knew the latin names and characteristics of the dozens of varieties he grew, and he enjoyed talking about them to his customers. Doug was a life long learner. He taught himself silver…

Michael Sean Vane-Hunt April 24, 1948 - July 5, 2025 In loving memory of a caring father, brother, uncle and great uncle. Michael shuffled off this mortal coil suddenly and unexpectedly. Left to mourn are his cherished son William, sisters Rosamund (Patrick), Mary (Richard) and Caroline (Andy), brother Martin, nieces Tarka (Greg) and Selchie, nephews Jordan, David, and Cyrano (Bianca), great nieces Amber, Aurora and Kiona, great nephews Devon and Eli (and Eli's father Aaron), as well as cousins in UK and Canada and many friends from his school days and around the world. Michael was predeceased by his parents and his nephew, Ilan. A kind and loving father, Michael (known as Muncle Merp to his nieces and nephews) was the family patriarch. He was always ready to lend a hand — felling trees, building walls, fences, bridges, advising on projects and such. He cared for his mother, Isabel, at home for several years before she died. Michael was the family peace-maker. His w…

Daulton (Doc) Paynter 1934 March 28 - 2025 May 2 We are very sad to announce the passing of Daulton (Doc) Paynter @ LMH on May 2, 2025, surrounded by his loving wife and family. Doc was a kind, gentle man who savoured & appreciated every moment of his full life. He loved his family and the people in this world from every race, country & situation and was passionate about caring for the planet. Born in Powell River, he had one brother & two sisters. He had a life-long love for B.C.’s wilderness, forests and coastline which resulted in his participation in many protests over the years to protect it. When he was 13, his obsession to fly an airplane spurred him to find a job to pay for lessons. With these hard-earned monies he would bike to the Vancouver airport to take flying lessons and eventually qualified for a solo flight. Later, while building houses, he lost one eye in an accident which ended his dream of flying, so he took up sailing. After a year at UBC he de…

Jeremy Peto Sibley b. 20 October 1929 Kingston, Jamaica - d. 31December 2024 Salt Spring Island , BC, Canada Jeremy was born and grew up in Jamaica. His family lineage reaches back to the slave abolitionist Baptist minister William Knibb who came to Jamaica from England in 1824. Due to an injury, a great deal of Jeremy’s childhood years were spent on crutches. From an early age Jeremy loved sports and at Munro College, Jamaica, where he went to high school, he was given the important job of scorekeeper for cricket and football games as he couldn’t play himself. Later in his teens he loved spending the hot summer up in the Blue Mountains at his aunt’s small coffee plantation and having competitions with his cousin to see who could eat the most pancakes. Architecture was his calling and after a summer drafting job in Jamaica he was on his way to the University of Manitoba, Canada, one of the leading schools of architecture at the time. He graduated in 1952. Foregoing M…