It is with great sadness that I annouce the passing of my grandfather, Charles James Gower, on Sunday, May 6, 2018.
Born on May 27, 1929 in Briton Ferry, Wales, he was orphaned at a young age. He joined the merchant marines and toured the world during WWII. After the war, and at the urging of his cousin, who had come to Canada as a war bride, he moved to Toronto. He is survived by my grandmother, his wife of 61 years, Doreen Gower, his 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
There are a lot of things I could say about my grandfather but I will just say a few. He introduced me to baseball, my favourite sport to watch, and took me to my very first game. He took me to mom & tots class when my mom had to go back to work. He made endless trips to and from Mississauga to take my sisters and I to our various extracurricular activities. He was lifelong regular blood donor. He lovingly built us dollhouse furniture. He had an amazing singing voice and was a member of many choirs. He was an avid crossword doer. He taught me how to play the harmonica. He sacrified many a new years' eve to babysit his grandchildren. He taught me how to swim, how to drive a boat, how to waterski, how to fish, and how to whistle. I remember him washing his navy blue Buick in the driveway. I can hear the way he said "DOOOOOREEN" like it was yesterday. He was a ‘miracle man’ according to his oncologist after surviving stage IV colon and liver cancer over 10 years ago. He was a goofy guy up until the end. He was known for his winking and James and Ellen were lucky enough to catch a couple of winks from him just days before he passed. My grandfather was a person who loved his family above all else. He is loved and he is missed. RIP.
Visitation: Sunday, May 20th, 2018 from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Funeral: Monday, May 21st, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at St Philip's Lutheran Church
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to St Philip's Lutheran Church or the Humber River Hospital Foundation
Dave’s father had a sense of humour that offered perspective and wit to any difficult situation. Nurses who cared for him through various health struggles loved him! He was kind, thoughtful and generous with gestures of support and encouragement to those around him. In the Welsh tradition of his birth country, he loved to sing in choirs. He could belt out a fine tune... vibrato which made Saturday mornings especially awakening (he especially loved to sing while he cooked). Sweeping Dave away to Alberta has meant limited time with him in the past number of years, but one thing that always stood out to me was how vibrantly and yet humbly proud he was of each member of his family. He loved each of us for who we are. Thank you for your loving embrace of this prairie girl who swept your son away to Alberta. Rest Peacefully Dad.
I worked closely with Charlie in my first brand manager marketing role on frozen foods in 1973 when Charlie was the national head of frozen food sales. One of the best I ever worked with and a real gentleman. Thoughts are with you. Kevin
REST IN PEACE CHARLIE..YOU GAVE LIFE A BIG KICK AND ALLOWED OTHERS TO JOIN IN YOUR PLEASURES....MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.......MUCH LOVE MARLENE
We are so very sorry for your loss. My parents have many happy memories of the poker crew and the life long friendship with Charlie. Mary and Wes send their heartfelt condolences and will hold the Gower family in their thoughts as you morn the loss of a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend.
With kindest regards, Mary and Wes Harrison (Judith and Garth Steek)