NEWBY, Raymond - Funeral Services are being held today, Thursday, December 14, 1989 for Raymond 'Ray' Newby, at 3:30 p.m. from St. Mark's Anglican Church in Dawson Creek, The Rev. John Robertson will officiate and interment will follow in the Dawson Creek City Cemetery.
Expressions of sympathy may be made by way of donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Fund.
Ray Newby passed away Sunday, December 10, 1989 in the Dawson Creek and District Hospital at the age of 83 years.
He was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England on February 16, 1906 and emigrated to Canada in 1921, along with his mother, brother Fred, and two sisters Anne and Nellie.
The Newbys homestead at South Dawson in 1928, before moving to the "Old Town of Dawson Creek".
With the coming of the railroad in 1930, Ray drove truck for Marshall Miller, hauling timber for the construction of Northern Alberta Railway bridges between Dawson Creek and Hythe.
In the fall of 1931 Ray took as his bride, Helen McQueen in a ceremony at Grande Prairie, and the couple raised two children.
They celebrated their 'golden' wedding anniversary in 1981.
Ray drove truck for E. J. Spinney for five years during the early 1940s and made many trips up the Alaska Highway.
During the 1940s and early 1950s Ray played the drums in Waldo Landry's Band and his wife Helen played the piano. "Waldo's Entertainers" played for a weekly radio program aired over CJDC Radio from 1948-50.
In 1945 Ray went to work at the Dawson Co-op Store where he was employed for 28 years, until his retirement in 1971.
Ray Newby was a member of the Dawson Creek Volunteer Fire Department from 1944 to 1984, a remarkable span of 40 years, during which time he served with distinction, attaining the rank of Captain. At one point he was the oldest active fireman in Canada. Ray Newby has been given a number of honors including being named Fireman of the Year, and was awarded a 'long service medal' as a volunteer fireman, presented in 1984 by Dawson Creek Mayor Bob Trail.
He leaves to mourn his loss, his wife Helen, daughter Darlene Roberts, son Allen, sisters: Anne Schilds and Nellie Hall; grandchildren Jody, Katherine, Dallas and Derek, three great-grandchildren and many many friends.
Ray Newby was an active member of the community, had a sharp memory of the past and was often consulted by local modern day historians, about events in the early years in and around Dawson Creek. He will be greatly missed.
Source: Peace River Block News, Peace River, British Columbia, Canada, 14 December 1989, page 8.
Source: findagrave.com; Memorial ID: 103899316