Mel was born in Windsor, NS and moved to Vancouver at age 7. He was educated at Lord Byng High school and went on to get a commerce degree at UBC. After graduation he had several jobs, finally settling at the BC Ministry of Health where he worked until retirement. Mel was very active his whole life and loved sports and the outdoors. He enjoyed racquet sports, lawn bowling, rugby, basketball, swimming, biking, and hiking. He was a devoted husband, son, and brother, and a proud father, grandfather and uncle. He will be missed by his loving wife Gillian, son Simon (Barb), daughter Trina (Steve), grandchildren Liam, Torin, Tiana and Owen, as well as several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to Habitat Acquisition Trust for the purpose of protecting a 49 acre urban forest next to Mel’s previous home; where he loved to hike. www.mountainroadforest.ca.
A Funeral Service with immediate family only in attendance will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens on Monday, January 25, 2021 at 10:00 am. All others are invited to attend virtually via Zoom by clicking the link below. Please use your video camera when joining so that family in attendance can see you and feel your support.
https://zoom.us/j/99126047924?pwd=TU5aSU9pWG9hL1ZPM08wR1p1UDZOdz09
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Jill Brown
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Roy and Lucille Sterner Dear Gill and family,
We are so sorry to hear of Mel’s passing. I had recently been rereading your Christmas letter, plus think of you often throughout the year remembering the great times in the guide movement. Wish we had met Mel having heard such nice things about him. I know he will be so missed. Be assured of our thoughts and prayers and although we are miles away we are with you in spirit.Love,
Lucille and Roy Sterner
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Mary Murray Dear Gill,
I was so sorry to read just now of your dear Mel’s passing.I do pray for the Lord to shower you with His great love, strength, peace and comfort now and in the days and weeks to come.
I found Mel a little intimidating when I first met him…on the tennis court… as I had heard how good he was, but over the several years of playing the occasional game, I found him to be gentle and caring as well as skilled at the game!
Very quiet spoken but an ardent advocate of pickle ball over which we had a few sparring conversations during coffee after church. It was a privilege to have known him.
With love and prayers Gill,
MaryMurray
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Sheelane Stigant Dear dear Gill. I remember both Mel and you with such fond memories you were both so kind to me. My visits with you both in your old home were precious. I loved that home of yours.
My heart is with you Gill. My home is your home if ever you are up this way. You would love my little Cavalier “ Sally” God bless. Sheelane
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June Attfield Gill Charlie and I send you our condolences, You are in our thoughts.
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Jennifer Blair Jill I am so sorry to hear of your husband’s recent passing. Just to you know that I am thinking about you and I am sure with the support of your family and friends it will help you through this difficult time.
Sincerely.
Jen Blair.
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Bill & Hazel Beach We will remember Mel and miss him terribly. He was the quiet one in our Friday walking group but always was on top of things and loved to engage in conversations. His home(and Gills)was a wonderful welcoming place to visit, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the garden.
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Rev. Dr. D. Mark Davison Dear Gil and family, Deepest condolences from Lyn and me. We have fond memories of Mel from our years at the Chapel and Crossroads. amongst other interactions over the years I especially remember his joy when he won the prize of a flight in Kenny’s motor glider when we were raising funds for King’s Daughters and his wide grin in a photo taken during the actual flight! Please know that you are all in our prayers. Love and blessings, Mark+
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Anne Harrison Wayne Armitstead It was wonderful to be a part of your celebration of Mel’s life.The Sharing and stories of your journey together was good to hear.Simon gave us a good picture of your rural life outside of Victoria.How times have changed. So nice for the grandchildren to feel.
We are thinking of you all and look forward to reconnecting with you on your journey.
Love from Wayne and Anne in Powell River
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Ainslie and Tom Tamboline We remember some very happy times dancing with Mel and Gill at the Mavericks Square Dance club. Mel was the exemplar of a gentleman, and at the same time there was a great sense of fun in their company. We send our warm condolences to you–Gill, Simon and Barb, Liam and Torin, and all the family.
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Michael Riefman Gill and family
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this beautiful service and remembrance of Mel. The video and Simon’s eulogy were very touching and we felt a closer connection with Mel through all of the stories and pictures.
We enjoyed our Friday morning walks with Mel and Gill.. his quiet humour will be missed.
Our hugs to the family.
Gayla and Michael
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Grant and Helen Sending you all our love and thoughts at Uncle Mel’s passing. Hope you all find the strength to cherish the wonderful memories you have . We will be thinking of you x
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Vic Marshall Condolence to Gill and the whole family. I remember him for the great times at square dances. He was also worked with my late wife’s Uncle Harold Price while in the B.C. Government. .. His soft touch and humour will be missed by many.
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Linda Pryer Dearest Gill, we were so sorry to hear of Mel’s passing. We enjoyed chatting with him back in the day when he would come to the Chapel gatherings. We send you our love and prayers and pray the Lord’s grace and peace upon you and your family at this time.
Love Jeremy and Linda Pryer
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Gail Medeiros Love and hugs to you Gill, and your family. I liked Mel for his quiet way, I didn’t know him all that well but I found him easy to talk to and a pleasure to bowl with.
Always hard to say goodbye to a loved one and I’m sure you have a lot of memories of tennis, trips and family to bring a smile.
Love Gail Medeiros
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Ron/Pat Hlady Gillian and family: So sorry to hear of Mel’s passing. In the short time together we have come to know you as integral members of Central Saanich Lawn Bowling. Already I had come to admire Mel`s dedication to perfection, his analytical mind and his concern for the welfare of the club: all qualities we will miss very much. We join you in your grief and hope you call on us at any time. Love, Pat and Ron Hlady
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Susanne & Bill Standeven Dear Gill and family
We want to extend our sympathies to you on the passing of Mel. We really enjoyed his company and conversation during our Friday morning walks and the occasional social gatherings through the walking group over many years. His quiet demeanor and broad knowledge base always gave us a variety of interesting topics to discuss with him.Mel was a great conversationalist. He showed interest in us by asking questions about our day to day lives. We will miss him and his gentle kind nature.
Peace to you all, Susanne & Bill
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Jean Bell (Ralfs) I was very sorry to hear that Mell had died. My husband (Roy Ralfs) worked with Mel and they very often played tennis. My sympathy to you Gill and family
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Marilyn Maggiora So very sorry for your loss Gill. Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time.
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NANCY HODGSON Our thoughts are with you at this time. I connected with you after working and met you and Mel at Lakehill Lawn Bowling. I always found Mel to be helpful and patient as I was trying to learn the techniques and rules of Lawn Bowling.
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Coral & Alex Brown So sorry to hear of your loss, Gill & really appreciate you letting us know. So many are being called home…I sense God is gathering His faithful. My Victoria roommate, Linda, passed Dec 08. It is 55 years ago that we 1st met. St. Joes Hospital had just lost a Miss Boyd who became Mrs Lightbody when a new Miss Boyd arrived from the prairies. You & Mel were so welcoming & hospitable. So amazing to be in touch all of these years over the miles.
Praying for your & your families comfort & peace.
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Joan Firkins Gill – Donna and I were saddened to read of Mel’s recent passing. Hoping you will be sustained by many good memories over the years – our thoughts are with you and your family.
Joan
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Ken and Bev Our thoughts and love are with all of you during this difficult time. They say grief is the price of love, and we know as a husband, father (in-law), grandfather and friend, he was well loved. May your memories bring you comfort always.
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Ann & Alan Newman We met Mel through Gill about 14 years ago. Over these years, we have had many happy times together, with mutual friends, either in our garden, or theirs in the summer. Mel was a very pleasant friend, and we had many good conversations. I remember one about Mason Bees, which he was very interested in, as were we. Apparently when they moved to their existing house, the Mason Bees didn’t arrive, so we put up a Bee nesting house in our garden, and then once it was full, we gave it to him. We always had a good chat about gardens.
We will miss Mel, and feel blessed for having known him.
Our condolences go out to Gill, and the family.
Ann & Alan.
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Kathleen Nelson Gill, I am saddened at the news of Mel’s passing. I pray you and your family will be able to comfort each other at this time.
I’m praying for you,
Kathleen Nelson
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Leslie Bateman Hi Gil, I was certainly saddened to hear of Mel’s passing. He will be very much missed by the Brentwood Pickleball Club. I always enjoyed playing Pickleball with Mel. He was a good player and always had that fun twinkle in his eye over good shots. I’ve been thinking of you during this time and hoping things are going as well as they can for you. My condolences to your family. I look forward to when we can be back on the Pickleball courts and seeing each other again. Take care. Leslie
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Gary and Jessie Dear Gill and family we are so sorry to hear of Mel’s passing. May his memories be a blessing
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Stephanie and Karl Johanson Milford (Uncle Mel) was always a source of information. I wish I had talked with him more. If I wanted to know something about the Lightbody family or even something about BC, he would know. We didn’t cross paths as often as we should have, but I will always remember his laugh when he was happy, his concerned face when something had to be dealt with, and his relaxed mood when he was in his garden. Milford always seemed happy to learn something new. He was a wonderful inspiration.
My condolences to all the family and friends.
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Lee McKelvey Heartfelt condolences to the Lightbody family during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with you.
the McKelvey family
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Karen and Lorrie Adam Our deepest condolences to Gill, Simon, Trina, and their family. Mel was a great neighbor and we missed him when you moved away from the Mountain Rd. neighborhood. May he rest peacefully. How thoughtful to ask for donations to the Habitat Acquisition Trust. There will be a part of Mel always residing in these woods.
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Sarah, Mike and all the family Sending all our love and condolences at this very sad time. Just wish we could be with in person but times are strange. We shall be with you on Monday via zoom. All our love from your Family in the UK xxx
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Betty Lee Sinclair I was sorry to read about Mel’s passing. I only met him a few times but knowing you, I know this will be difficult for you. Please accept my condolences.
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Maurice and Shirley Dear Gill and all your family, we were so sorry to hear of Mel’s passing. We hope your able to get the support you need during these trying times. He led a very active life and enjoyed his family and bowling family as well. He enjoyed all the parties at the club and attended all club competitions. We will all miss him. Moe enjoyed him when he would drop in for a visit and this year we have all missed out on our friendships. We would like to pass on a big hug to you and your family, Love Shirley and Maurice
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Jennifer Martin Mel was a special uncle who was a great friend to my mother Ellen who truly appreciated his friendship, generosity and support.
We will always remember Mel’s warm smile, humour and adventurous nature.
He was simply a great man and he will be deeply missed.
Our thoughts and love to Gill, Simon(Barb) & Trina(Steve) and their children.
Dear Gill
I’m so sad your husband has passed.
I offer my deepest condolences.
I am still in Salisbury UK .
From your old dear friend from Blackheath High School for girls .
With love,
Jill Brown