Glen Patrick Convey

“Everything has a beginning and an end. As it should be.”

Glen Patrick Convey 1936-2022 

In his honour, we celebrate the life well-lived of Glen Patrick Convey. Glen passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his “kids” and their spouses, as he wished, on December 3, 2022.  

Our dad was a force to be reckoned with. Always willing to debate the issues of the day - or switch sides as it suited him during the course of it. His strong will and love of living kept him going and going through the adversity he faced at the end of life and the earlier loss of our mother, his beloved wife. He said he was one of the lucky ones. 

Glen was born in Kapuskasing on September 14, 1936 in the days of a company pulp mill town. Milk was still delivered by horse and wagon. His gang of little boys learned to whistle the horse home to the barn mid-delivery, much to the chagrin of the milkman. After dropping out of engineering and too much partying, he met Nancy and finished his Architecture degree at McGill University with the award in design while she graduated from nursing. His career moved them around at first but settling in Kanata (Carleton University) for the early years of raising his family until moving to the University of Swaziland in the late 1970s. This was the greatest opportunity of his life; to take the family to Africa and tour the game parks, beaches and cape of South Africa. Moving to Edmonton gave his children their greatest future opportunities and for him to finish out the bulk of his career on public projects. With Nancy, briefly, he moved to Nanaimo where he resided for 22 years fulfilling a 37-year old dream to live on Vancouver Island. We were lucky to have him. He will be deeply missed by his children Laurie (Chris), Debbie (Greg), Grant, best friend of 65 years Ilene McClintock Rochette, his extended family, neighbours and friends. He will remain always in our hearts.

Dad wanted us to take the opportunities life gives us, remember to tell our loved ones we love them, be brave and find humour even when life throws us a curve. 

We would like to thank Dr. Jodie Turner and the nurses and health care aides at the Palliative Care Unit of the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital who got dad home; Dr. Eggen, Kessa and Charles from Community Palliative Care; Dr. Atallah and the Victoria Cancer Centre; and Dr. Michelle Workun-Hill and Victoria from Medical Assistance in Dying. 

The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service (one of dad’s favourites)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45081/the-cremation-of-sam-mcgee

No service will be held. Please share your stories about our dad. He always appreciated a good story.

Donations can be made to Dying with Dignity https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/donate/  or, if you prefer, the BC Cancer Foundation (metastatic prostate cancer research) https://donate.bccancerfoundation.com/site/Donation2?df_id=9885&mfc_pref=T&9885.donation=form1&s_src=BCCSite&utm_source=BCCSite&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=BCCReferral