We Remember
THATCHER, Ernest Clifford
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Ernie passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at the age 87 years. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Chris; daughters: Carmen (Bill) and Tiffany; granddaughter Courtney (Cory) and grandson Jet. Predeceased by his son Bradley November 5, 2014. Ernie was born in Meacham, Saskatchewan on December 29, 1929 to Fred and Sophie Thatcher and was the fifth of six children. Family was always the most important thing to him and he passed away with all of them together at his bedside. Ernie and family set down roots in Kelowna in 1977. He will always be remembered as an astute, hardworking businessman who was a man of his word and was respected by all who worked for him. He had a great sense of humor and a unique chuckle which will forever be missed. Rest in peace, Ernie; you’ve done well! A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, October 2nd at 10:00 am at Immaculate Conception Church, 839 Sutherland Avenue, Kelowna, BC, with interment to follow in the Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery. If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or to share a memory, please scroll down this page to the area called “share your condolences.”
Service
Monday, October 2nd at 10:00 am
Location
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Our deepest condolences You are in our prayers and thoughts May your strong family bond help you at this time
May you rest in the arms of the Lord, Ernie. To the family and friends, I give my condolences and prayers that God may help you through this time of sorrow.
Chris, Carmen, Tiffany and family…..
I am so sorry for your loss! I have many fond memories of your family, and how Ernie always made me feel welcome and special, no matter if it was at his home, or his pub(s). He was always so kind, supportive and generous, and he always had great advice!! I’m so thankful to have known Ernie, and I will always hold onto the many wonderful memories! My deepest condolences!
we are so sorry for your loss. Ernie was a great bowling buddy. We will miss him a lot. He truly was a very special friend to us. Our prayers will be for him and his family
our condolence to the family our prayers are out to the family
Chris and family. We were so very sorry to hear about the passing of Ernie. I have been away on business and just returned to Kelowna this past weekend, but Bill did get in touch with me about the news of his passing. I am also sorry that I will not be able to attend the service on Monday as we are in council all day Mondays. I will drop into the restaurant and see Bill and the girls and hope to see you soon Chris.
Chris, Carmen, Tiffany and family…..
I am so sorry to hear that Ernie, your husband, father, grandfather, mentor and friend died.
Ernie was one of a kind. Other than my Mother, Ernie was the person who helped solidify my work ethic. You didn’t walk by something on the floor and not pick it up when you worked for Ernie…..you just didn’t….lol. He liked to show the world a gruff exterior, but he was a pussycat if he liked you. I remember when a co-worker had a cash problem, and he co-signed a loan for her. He pretty much insisted that we all sit down after work and have a bevie and visit and talk about the shift…..we talked about situations and how they were dealt with and if there were other ways to deal with them….of course, Ernie thought that his way was always the best 😉 He would say, “I will buy your drink for you, but only if you drink Scotch, because it is the only thing worth drinking”. I wish that I had known back then that his middle name was Clifford, because I would have teased him about that….When he opened shop in Kamloops, a bunch of us “old” girls heard that he was having an issue with the staff…if something hadn’t come up, we were all going to show up with server trays and let him and them know how much we had appreciated him as a boss and friend. Because he was a friend. He was a mentor to many people. I just wanted you to know that there are many people that will be reading his obituary, and having great memories about him.
I am glad that I was able to see him very recently and let him know that I thought highly of him, and give him a kiss, even though he didn’t recognize me….Hugs to you all.
Rest in peace, Ernie!!!
Yvonne (and all of the people that I know that would “second” everything that I am saying….
PS- I talked to Elda, and she was sad to hear that Ernie was having health issues and she has just as HIGH of an opinion of Ernie as he had of her. She remembers how much he DID appreciate the hard work that she did for him. If she was able, she would DEFINITELY have been at the service.
Dear Chris, Carmen & Tiffany:
I was able to attend Ernie’s funeral yesterday but was unable to stay for the reception to say hello. We have so many memories dating back to the days of 1980 when we were neighbours; Ernie coming by the open garage asking the “guys & Lynn Deschner” to play at his pub when hearing their practices. They became Ernie’s Garage Band until changing their name to Steel Blue. Carmen and Tiffany were our “go to babysitters” so many times, even bringing Carmen to Big White a New Years to babysit that evening but ski on us during the day. Great days. My father engraved namebadges for the pub with Ernie’s famous profile on them. I was fortunate to have the pleasure of working with Ernie during my days in real estate; both Chris and Ernie being pleasant people to work with.
We are very sad at your loss. We have very fond and lasting memories. He is with good company sharing dances, beverages and laughter with many of his past acquaintances.
Our sincere sympathy goes out to all of you.
Wendy (& Bill) Steciuk