Ray Sliney

Raymond Phillip Sliney passed away peacefully on Monday,

May 1, 2017 in Canmore after a long battle with cancer and

related illnesses.

He is survived by his loving wife, Florence (nee Germain), sister Lorraine Gray, nieces Terry Thompson (Richard), Char Berard, Trish Tomlin (Doug), Kathy Emberly (Darci), Sarah Germain and nephews Rick Gray (Tracey) and Sean Germain. He is also survived by his greatly adored great and great-great nieces and nephews.

Ray was born in Winnipeg and grew up in the small farming village of Oakville, Manitoba. These were the years of the Great Depression but the town pulled together and survived. Ray remembered playing hockey in his father's skates with the toes stuffed with newspaper so they fit and using magazines for shin guards. He was an avid reader and had to be issued a card for the adult section as he had read every book in the children's wing.

When he was 14, W.W.II broke out and Ray got summer jobs in the Officers Mess at Portage La Prairie #7 – AOS and as an airframe mechanic. He was fascinated by the flying stories the pilots told of their exploits and developed a real love of planes and flying. The pilots often took him flying in legendary WW II aircraft. He joined the RCAF as soon as he was 18 and later the Canadian Army as the war ended and the men were demobilizing.

He returned home and found work as a stone cutter before working for Winnipeg Transit. He studied for his Power Engineering papers and later worked for the Federal Government and O'Keefe Brewery.

Ray met the love of his life, Florence, and the couple were married in 1963. Ray finally realized his dream of learning to fly gliders and power planes and purchased a vintage two-seater plane which he flew throughout Western Canada. It was on visits to the Rocky Mountains that he fostered a love of the mountains and life time membership in the Alpine Club of Canada. He scaled such peaks as Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Matterhorn in Switzerland and enjoyed hiking with the Meanderthals of Canmore. He loved taking road trips about the country.

In 1970, the couple moved to Kamloops, BC where Ray owned and operated a book store. In five years he was able to semi-retire and take his 32 foot sloop, the "Avilion" on a 12 year sailing voyage around the world. He co-authored a book by the same name. A master navigator, he used only a sextant and chronometer to find his position from the sun and stars as he sailed across the untamed oceans of the world.

Upon returning to Canada, he re-entered the work force and spent a number of years employed by the Baffin Board of Education as office manager for the Inuit education councils.

He eventually retired to Canmore. His love of adventure has taken him to such places as the Kingdoms of Sikkim and Bhutan, the Andes of Peru, along the tributaries of the Amazon and around "The Horn". Back packing through India, Asia, Australia and New Zealand were highlights.

Ray will be remembered for his gentleness, his kindness to others, his keen sense of humour and sharp wit. He died as he lived, with grace, dignity and honour. Ray was absolutely authentic, dependable, selfless and modest – an ordinary man doing extraordinary things. For many years he volunteered with FCSS doing income tax returns for seniors in the valley.

His legacy to each of us is to grab life with both hands, to enjoy the mountains, the sea, and our time in nature; to stay engaged and open and to love deeply, to make space for forgiveness and to act from integrity; and finally to make lots of room for laughter and play.

A celebration of Ray's life was held Saturday, May 20, 2017

in St. Michael's Anglican Church in Canmore.

The family would like to thank doctors, nurses and staff at the

Canmore Hospital and Homecare for the care of Ray, both at

home and in the hospital.

Friends wishing to remember Ray are encouraged to make a donation, in his memory, to the Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation,

1100 Hospital Place, Canmore T1W 1N2 dedicated to the

Canmore Home Care programs.

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.