Obituary of Peter Herrick Blakesley

Peter Herrick Blakesley

Peter left us following a long and hard-fought battle with cancer.  Predeceased in 2013 by Kathleen, his wife of 59 years, Peter will be missed by his four sons Martin (Carrie), Neil (Lenore), Timothy (Paula), and Simon (Janine); his grandsons Adam (Amber), Connor (Nicki), Peter (Chelsea), Jonah, Matthew and Christopher; seven great grandchildren; his nieces Sandra and Janet; his sister-in-law Pauline Pepper and a lifetime’s worth of friends, neighbours and co-workers.

Peter was born in Leicester, England. At Leicester’s Clark College, he developed an enduring love of literature and history (a lifelong avid reader), and a disdain for authority. Following in his father’s military footsteps, 17-year old Peter joined the Royal Navy in 1947 as a proud Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Photographer. During his navy service, his father sustained near-fatal injuries in a motorcycle crash.  Through a related sequence of life altering circumstances, Peter fell in love with the nurse tending to his father’s injuries (our mum Kathleen!). On July 17th, 1954, they married and started a family. Peter’s immediate post-Navy employment included law enforcement with the Royal Leicestershire Constabulary. In 1959, Peter accepted a job with Pratt and Whitney Canada in Montreal, where he honed his new found expertise in metallurgy, accepting and embracing a relationship with his new country. Following their formative years in England, Peter and our Mum Kathleen lived in wide-ranging locations in North America, including Quebec, Massachusetts, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.  Testimony to Dad’s enduring friendships and formed professional relationships are the well-wishes he received in his final days, some from relationships that have endured for 50 years or more.  Dad was especially thankful to his early Canadian friends in Montreal, when Mum and Dad had but a few dollars in their pockets and were wide-eyed as new immigrants, and later in life at Deep River, Ontario and Berwick, Nova Scotia.  Friends have been unrelenting in support, friendship, and care.  

English poet and cleric John Donne famously reminds us, ‘the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the entire congregation to come; and that’s why, he counselled, “never send to know for whom that funeral bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” In the end Pete knew, as his Navy service taught him well: we’re all in the same boat; when one of us goes over the side, we’re all one oarsman less.

Our family extends sincere thanks to all those who, over the years, befriended Pete and Kath, graciously helped them along, and supported them in times of need. Sincere thanks to the medical professionals who guided and treated Dad through the last two and a half years.  Special thanks to the staff at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville Nova Scotia, for their care and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, please offer contributions to the charity of your choice, or the Canadian Skin Cancer Foundation. http://www.canadianskincancerfoundation.com/. Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr., Coldbrook, NS, B4P 1B9 (902-679-2822).