Feb. 17, 1940 - May 14, 2012
Ronald Stephen DeFelice passed away on May 14, 2012, at Royal Inland Hospital, two weeks following surgery. He had been in poor health for several months.
He is survived by his wife, Heather, of Barriere; sons Ronald (Jana), Michael (Laurie), Robert (Sherry), and Mark (Sharleen); and daughter Jennifer (Robbie) Kerslake; 13 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Ronald was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1940. He emigrated to Canada with his mother at the age of four, and was raised by his grandmother in Masonville, Quebec.
When he was 18, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey. After leaving the army, he returned to Quebec, where he met and married Heather Keene. They had five children.
Ron had a great sense of adventure. He loved fishing, hunting, camping and family get-togethers. It was nothing to be awakened at 2 a.m. with Ron announcing “Get up! We’re going camping!”
In 1979, his greatest adventure was packing up the family and moving west to B.C. With no set destination, we spent three months on the road with his grandmother, mother, five kids, two dogs and a cat. Finally, we found Barriere. We fell in love with the mountains, the lakes, and the people we met.
On May 17, an open house and BBQ was held at the Kerslake home for family and friends to celebrate Ron’s life.
“May the sun shine warmly on your face and the wind blow gently on your shoulders.”