Theme: Cemetery
I started the year off writing about family burials in Ross Bay Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries here in Victoria, BC, Canada. So it seems more than fair to introduce you to some of Terry’s other BOORMAN relatives buried in the newer and largest community burial park in Greater Victoria. The Royal Oak Burial Park and Mausoleum first opened in 1923, and is indeed a beautifully green and peaceful place on 135 acres.
All of the burials I will be listing here are for members of a single BOORMAN family, most of whom are shown in this family group portrait taken in Victoria in 1942:
All of the burials I will be listing here are for members of a single BOORMAN family, most of whom are shown in this family group portrait taken in Victoria in 1942:
BOORMAN Family, 1942, Victoria BC in Harry and Daisy Louise’s back yard with their 5 children and some spouses:
Standing (L to R): Joyce and Bill, Daisy Louise and Harry, Valerie and Ken, Audrey
Sitting in front (L to R): Sheila, Jack and Mary Boorman
Row of 4 BOORMAN graves: Harry, D Louise, Ken and Valerie There is a row of four BOORMAN graves for Harry, Daisy Louise, Ken and Valerie in the upper (northeast) part of the "Garden of Remembrance", close to the park’s office and south of the Garden Chapel.
Harry Eustace BOORMAN (1881-1951)
Terry’s grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN served in WWI as a recruiter in Vancouver BC, where he was commanding officer of the 68th Battery Canadian Field Artillery (see my last blog posting). But Harry started life in Battersea, Surrey, England, born on 16 Jun 1881, the youngest of seven children of William Scoons BOORMAN and Frances Jane “Fanny” ROBSON. Harry was still a teenager in the mid 1890s when most of this family emigrated to Victoria on the Pacific west coast of Canada.
The first record of Harry in Canada is the 1897 Victoria City directory when he was working as a clerk for C D Mason and living with his parents at 129 Michigan Street in the James Bay area. Later that same year, his sister Henrietta BOORMAN married their cousin Jim ROBSON, and Harry attended the wedding. By 1900 Harry was a clerk with the Board of Trade, no doubt gaining valuable business and financial experience there. By 1902, Harry was also gaining military experience as part of the 5th BC Regiment militia where he rose through the ranks for about six years. By the time his father died in 1909, Harry had already moved to Vancouver to further his carrier, but still acted as the informant on his father’s death registration.
Harry Eustace BOORMAN (1881-1951)
Terry’s grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN served in WWI as a recruiter in Vancouver BC, where he was commanding officer of the 68th Battery Canadian Field Artillery (see my last blog posting). But Harry started life in Battersea, Surrey, England, born on 16 Jun 1881, the youngest of seven children of William Scoons BOORMAN and Frances Jane “Fanny” ROBSON. Harry was still a teenager in the mid 1890s when most of this family emigrated to Victoria on the Pacific west coast of Canada.
The first record of Harry in Canada is the 1897 Victoria City directory when he was working as a clerk for C D Mason and living with his parents at 129 Michigan Street in the James Bay area. Later that same year, his sister Henrietta BOORMAN married their cousin Jim ROBSON, and Harry attended the wedding. By 1900 Harry was a clerk with the Board of Trade, no doubt gaining valuable business and financial experience there. By 1902, Harry was also gaining military experience as part of the 5th BC Regiment militia where he rose through the ranks for about six years. By the time his father died in 1909, Harry had already moved to Vancouver to further his carrier, but still acted as the informant on his father’s death registration.
Harry and D Louise BOORMAN in later years Harry met Daisy Louise JOHNSTON in Vancouver and married her there on 30 May 1910 at the JOHNSTON family home at 1419 Harwood Street. By then Harry was working as a bookkeeper, and was also treasurer of the National Finance Co Ltd at 1770 Georgia. He also called himself a broker and financier. The young couple went on a trip to California where their first son Bill was born in January 1911. They were back in Canada in time for the 1911 Canadian census. I've also found a record of Harry and Daisy Louise returning from England via New York, traveling with one of her sisters, in Jan 2012. No mention of baby Bill, so perhaps he was cared for by his grandmother back home while they had a holiday.
Back in Vancouver, their second son Ken was born in 1913, and their third son Jack in 1914. It looks like Harry went into partnership with a James J Hunter, forming the brokerage firm of Hunter and Boorman operating at #308 - 470 Granville. And at some point he also joined the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders militia unit. He was a busy guy! And then the Great War started and, as previously discussed, Harry served well on the home front until January 1919. Their daughter Sheila was born in 1917, and Audrey in 1920, both in Vancouver. By 1921 the family had moved to Victoria, closer to his Boorman relatives. Harry got a job as manager with the BC Bond Corporation.
Then came the market crash of 1929. Harry didn't fair well. He was sued by some of his clients and ended up serving time in jail, which had a lasting affect on him. Yet he seems to have rallied as in 1933 he started up his own family business, acting as manager of Boorman Investment Co. Ltd. which over the years grew to offer investments, insurance, mortgages, real estate sales, and leasing and property management services. These companies were in family hands for three generations, and have only recently been sold.
In his later years, Harry suffered from angina, and in 1938 he had some kind of coronary event (I can't read the doctor's handwriting!). He retired in 1948 and his three sons continued to run the business. On 21 Apr 1951 at the age of 69, Harry died of congestive heart failure.
Back in Vancouver, their second son Ken was born in 1913, and their third son Jack in 1914. It looks like Harry went into partnership with a James J Hunter, forming the brokerage firm of Hunter and Boorman operating at #308 - 470 Granville. And at some point he also joined the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders militia unit. He was a busy guy! And then the Great War started and, as previously discussed, Harry served well on the home front until January 1919. Their daughter Sheila was born in 1917, and Audrey in 1920, both in Vancouver. By 1921 the family had moved to Victoria, closer to his Boorman relatives. Harry got a job as manager with the BC Bond Corporation.
Then came the market crash of 1929. Harry didn't fair well. He was sued by some of his clients and ended up serving time in jail, which had a lasting affect on him. Yet he seems to have rallied as in 1933 he started up his own family business, acting as manager of Boorman Investment Co. Ltd. which over the years grew to offer investments, insurance, mortgages, real estate sales, and leasing and property management services. These companies were in family hands for three generations, and have only recently been sold.
In his later years, Harry suffered from angina, and in 1938 he had some kind of coronary event (I can't read the doctor's handwriting!). He retired in 1948 and his three sons continued to run the business. On 21 Apr 1951 at the age of 69, Harry died of congestive heart failure.
FOUR BOORMAN BURIALS IN THE ROBP "GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE"
Daisy Louise (JOHNSTON) BOORMAN (1887-1961)
Terry’s grandmother was buried as D. Louise BOORMAN beside her husband Harry. I have written before about her and her extended Irish Canadian family in JOHNSTON - What house is this anyway? and in JOHNSTON, James Irvine - Luck of the Irish
After her husband died in 1951, Daisy Louise lived with her daughter Sheila and Tom SMITH and family. Terry remembers his parents and his aunts and uncles taking turns having his grandmother over for Sunday dinners. She died ten years after Harry on 6 May 1961 at the age of 73 due to cancer.
Terry’s grandmother was buried as D. Louise BOORMAN beside her husband Harry. I have written before about her and her extended Irish Canadian family in JOHNSTON - What house is this anyway? and in JOHNSTON, James Irvine - Luck of the Irish
After her husband died in 1951, Daisy Louise lived with her daughter Sheila and Tom SMITH and family. Terry remembers his parents and his aunts and uncles taking turns having his grandmother over for Sunday dinners. She died ten years after Harry on 6 May 1961 at the age of 73 due to cancer.
Kenneth Lloyd BOORMAN (1913-1959) and
Valerie Cornelia (KENNEDY-SMITH) STOCKS (1917-1982)
The next grave beside Daisy Louise was their middle son Kenneth L BOORMAN and his widow Valerie C STOCKS. Sadly, Ken was the first of the five siblings to pass away from a heart attack on 28 May 1959 at the young age of 46, two years before his mother. His teenage son and daughter were tragically left without a father.
Ken worked in the family business as a salesman of stocks and bonds and manager for Boorman Investments. And like his older brother Bill, Ken attended the Royal Canadian Naval College HMCS Royal Roads in 1941. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during WWII as a Lieutenant (RCNVR). He was originally attached to the Esquimalt (Victoria) Division, then later to the Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa Divisions. A more complete list of Ken's wartime postings can be found on the Unit Histories website.
On 29 Nov 1941, Ken married Valerie Cornelia Kennedy-Smith in Victoria where they lived and raised their two children until his early death in 1959. Valerie was the daughter of George and Gladys Eleanor (Fullick) Kennedy-Smith. She remarried in October 1961 to Peter STOCKS, and passed away on 24 Apr 1982 in Victoria BC at age 65.
Valerie Cornelia (KENNEDY-SMITH) STOCKS (1917-1982)
The next grave beside Daisy Louise was their middle son Kenneth L BOORMAN and his widow Valerie C STOCKS. Sadly, Ken was the first of the five siblings to pass away from a heart attack on 28 May 1959 at the young age of 46, two years before his mother. His teenage son and daughter were tragically left without a father.
Ken worked in the family business as a salesman of stocks and bonds and manager for Boorman Investments. And like his older brother Bill, Ken attended the Royal Canadian Naval College HMCS Royal Roads in 1941. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during WWII as a Lieutenant (RCNVR). He was originally attached to the Esquimalt (Victoria) Division, then later to the Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa Divisions. A more complete list of Ken's wartime postings can be found on the Unit Histories website.
On 29 Nov 1941, Ken married Valerie Cornelia Kennedy-Smith in Victoria where they lived and raised their two children until his early death in 1959. Valerie was the daughter of George and Gladys Eleanor (Fullick) Kennedy-Smith. She remarried in October 1961 to Peter STOCKS, and passed away on 24 Apr 1982 in Victoria BC at age 65.
William Irvine "Bill" BOORMAN (1911-1966)
Terry’s father Bill BOORMAN is also buried in the lower section of the Garden of Remembrance not too far from his parents. Bill died much too young and before I had even met Terry. I have written before about Bill’s houses and career in real estate, as well as his service as a Canadian naval officer in World War II. His military service has since been summarized on the Unit Histories website as well.
Bill's health was never the same after the war and about 1958 at the age of 47 he suffered the first of three heart attacks. Eight years later he died instantly from his third attack, just over a month after his only daughter was married, and while at home on a Sunday on his way to answer the phone. He was only 55, and never lived to meet his four grandchildren. Heart trouble certainly runs in the family. Bill’s cremains are buried in Block F, Plot 124 in the Garden of Remembrance, right beside a path in the lower section of the Chapel Garden.
(On a side note, one of my own maternal relatives is buried quite close to Bill, as mentioned in a previous blog posting about Arther Austin CRESWELL.)
Terry’s father Bill BOORMAN is also buried in the lower section of the Garden of Remembrance not too far from his parents. Bill died much too young and before I had even met Terry. I have written before about Bill’s houses and career in real estate, as well as his service as a Canadian naval officer in World War II. His military service has since been summarized on the Unit Histories website as well.
Bill's health was never the same after the war and about 1958 at the age of 47 he suffered the first of three heart attacks. Eight years later he died instantly from his third attack, just over a month after his only daughter was married, and while at home on a Sunday on his way to answer the phone. He was only 55, and never lived to meet his four grandchildren. Heart trouble certainly runs in the family. Bill’s cremains are buried in Block F, Plot 124 in the Garden of Remembrance, right beside a path in the lower section of the Chapel Garden.
(On a side note, one of my own maternal relatives is buried quite close to Bill, as mentioned in a previous blog posting about Arther Austin CRESWELL.)
Sheila and Jack Boorman in WWII military uniformswith their father Harry E Boorman, c1942
John Stuart "Jack" BOORMAN (1914-1998) and
Mary Johnson Montgomery (ALEXANDER) BOORMAN (1917-1999)
Jack BOORMAN, the youngest son, and his wife Mary ALEXANDER are buried in a newer section of the Royal Oak Burial Park, closer to the back in section U near the Mausoleum.
Jack was born 30 Nov 1914 in Vancouver. He served in the army in WWII, and on 14 Mar 1942 he married Mary at St Andrews Presbyterian in Victoria. They had two sons and one daughter. Jack worked in real estate for the family business, and was interested in his family history. He died on 30 Jan 1998 in Victoria at the age of 83. Both their sons also worked at Boorman Investments.
Mary was born 26 Mar 1917 in Victoria, as was her twin sister Marshie ALEXANDER, both the children of Archibald ALEXANDER and Margaret Thompson McGREGOR. She graduated from the Royal Jubilee School of Nursing in 1939 as an RN. Mary developed Alzheimers and died on 20 Nov 1999 at the age of 82.
Audrey Evelyn BOORMAN (1920-1977) and Donald Victor KING (1919-1978)
Audrey and her husband Don KING both died from heart problems while still in their 50s, after two of their three daughters had married. They are buried side by side in the "Grove of Remembrance" section, Block C, Plots 393 and 394 of the Royal Oak Burial Park. I have only recently learned of their burial locations, so we recently made a special trip to the cemetery to visit their graves.
Audrey BOORMAN was born 12 Dec 1920 and was still an infant when the family left Vancouver. She grew up in Victoria, and by 1945 she was renting at her parents' home at 865 Newport and working as a clerk at Canadian Bank of Commerce. She was soon to be married.
Don KING was born in in Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He served in WWII before marrying Audrey, and worked in the family shoe store on lower Yates Street in Victoria, started by his father A V King. Audrey worked at the store as well.
The only members of this particular BOORMAN family NOT buried in the Royal Oak Burial Park are Sheila Frances BOORMAN (1917-2002) and her husband Thomas Alfred SMITH (1915-1994). Instead, they are buried up-island in Parksville BC. Also, Bill's wife and Terry's mother Lillian Joyce (THOMAS) BOORMAN SCHOENECKER is buried in Ross Bay Cemetery here in Victoria.
Southeast entrance to Garden of Remembrance, Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, BC, Canada
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