We Remember

CONNAUTON, James Morley

September 10, 1969 — August 28, 2026

It is with heavy hearts that the family of James Connauton announces his unexpected passing on August 28, 2026, at the age of 56, in Kelowna, BC. Born to parents, Ruth Connauton (née Roque) and John Connauton in Maple Ridge, BC, James, or Jimmy, or Jim, as many of us knew him, will be deeply missed. He was a brother, a son, an uncle, and a friend. He was funny, smart, kind, passionate, and always a little irreverent.

One of his greatest passions in life was music and his tastes leaned in many directions but rarely mainstream. As a teen growing up in the small town of Winlaw, BC, he revelled in both the heavy punk music of The Dead Kennedys and Black Flag, and the synth/new wave sounds of Joy Division, the Cure, and Depeche Mode. For a time, he sported a purple Mohawk held together with superglue (to save time), along with the shredded jeans studded with safety pins and anarchy patches of the era, fashion extremes that brought great aggravation to his parents.

As an adult his musical interests expanded to include rap artists such as Tupac and operatic metal bands such as Epica, Therion, and the hard rock of Evanescence. His most ardent musical love though was British goth metal band Cradle of Filth. If you didn’t know about these musical genres, Jim was bound to educate you. (Maybe you are thinking this is too much detail for an obituary, but if you knew Jim, you know he would demand it).

It’s hard to imagine anyone meeting Jim and not remembering him. He loved gardening, cooking, hockey and baseball, and had a truly kind heart for the small animals of the world. He loved to talk about his pet rabbit Buzz and was always putting out food for the squirrels and birds. To many he will also be remembered as an exceptional cook. Trained in the culinary program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC, James worked for about 25 years in the hospitality industry cooking at both resorts and restaurants in BC and Alberta.

Whenever he was home for a visit, he would make all manner of delicious food, but he particularly enjoyed cooking for his mom. His homemade French fries could not be beat and were prepared from scratch from the blanching to the plunge into hot oil, salted and served on a plate, perfect, crisp, golden fries. Most recently, Jim was much loved for his volunteer cooking at the Gospel Mission shelter in Kelowna, BC.

As with music and cooking, Jim was a zealous fan of first hockey then baseball. In his early years, it was hockey, dedicating his initial energies to the Quebec Nordiques and later the Vancouver Canucks. However, as an adult, he channelled that love towards baseball and in particular the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2024, he was finally able to realize a dream by travelling to Toronto with a friend and taking in a live game.

For the past few years Jim had been living in Grande Prairie, Alberta, and made the move back to Kelowna in early spring of 2026. He always loved Kelowna because he said you could grow the best tomatoes there.

James will be remembered with much love by friends and family for the memories shared here as well as many others people hold in their hearts. How do you capture the fullness of a life in words? If you knew him, doubtless you can still hear his laugh.

He now goes to join those who passed before him, including his parents Ruth and John Connauton; brothers Norman Fenn and John Connauton; sister Jane Fenn; and nephew Justin Golden.

Family and friends will each honour James in their own ways. No formal service will be held.

If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory, please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.

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