Obituaries

Paul Whitred left this world on the gloriously sunny morning of Sunday, October 4th, 2026 just two weeks shy of his 91st birthday. He loved sunny mornings, and would have fully appreciated the blue sky and warm temperature of the day. In earlier years, a morning like this would have found Paul out in his yard in Humber Park; a season of harvest for his many tomatoes and zucchinis.

Paul was a peaceful soul, a man of many friends and no enemies. He was kind, helpful and supportive. Whether through his career in the Canadian Air Force, his time as the head bartender at the Officers Mess in Shearwater, or his years of volunteer service at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 160, Paul was a steady, friendly, calm presence that brought about the best in everyone.

Paul loved the outdoors. He spent time away at his hunting camp near Antigonish, or with friends at their camps, every autumn. He loved to cook and was known for his liberal use of black pepper and hot chilis, his seasoning not for the faint of heart. Paul had great skill with beer and wine making, and kept his store room full in case friends and neighbours came to visit. But everyone knew not to visit during CFL games, particularly if his beloved Hamilton Tiger-Cats were playing and especially not during the Grey Cup! Paul loved car racing, hot coffee, cowboy boots, barbecued steak with a great deal of pepper on it and, in older days, a nice strong rum and Coke.

Originally from Hamilton, Ontario, Paul and Ellen met in Val D'Or, Quebec in 1968 and celebrated 56 years of marriage last December. They have long, enduring friendships from those early years together that they maintained through military postings and moves. It is no surprise to any of us that the brightest light in Paul's orbit was his daughter, Nicole. He loved her like crazy, and was always supportive and proud of her, his "Sweetie". Paul was also a very well loved extended family member of the Burger-Holman family, his rich baritone voice a regular feature of all holiday gatherings.

Paul's love for his family and contentment for all that life had given him contributed to the steady presence he brought to aging and to these past years as he lived with dementia. No matter how things changed, Paul remained warm and kind to his final days. We would like to thank everybody who helped to take such wonderful care of him at both the Dartmouth General Hospital and The Admiral Long Term Care Centre.

Paul would have loved for everyone he cared about to gather together for a final hurrah. Please join us for a celebration of Paul's life on Friday, October 16th at 11:30am at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 160, 703 Main Street, Westphal. We will see you there, as we say goodbye to one of the truly Good Guys.