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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
BELL, Walter Emerson - slipped away peacefully on October 24 after a brief illness. He was 90. Born in South Shields, England, he was just two when his family moved to the Edmonton area. As a youth he joined the Sea Cadets, a choice that influenced much of the rest of his life. Walter signed up with the Royal Canadian Navy as an ordinary seaman at the outbreak of the Second World War, serving aboard minesweepers and corvettes for the greater part of the Battle of the Atlantic. Shortly after war's end, he married the love of his life, Marjorie Owen, of Edmonton. During the Korean War, Walter served aboard HMCS Cayuga for two tours, rejoining his family in Victoria in 1952. He remained in the navy during the Cold War, and eventually rose through the ranks to become a full lieutenant, an uncommon feat for a sailor of that day. Toward the end of his career he became a naval systems analyst in Ottawa and range officer at the Experimental and Test Range at Nanoose Bay. He left the navy when unification was imposed upon Canada's military forces in 1968. Marjorie predeceased Walter in 1990. He leaves his sons Jack (Penelope) of London, Ont., and Dennis (Janet) of Edmonton; daughter Linda (Clifford) of Toronto; grandchildren Jennifer Radons (Geoff) and Paul Bell of Victoria, Jesslyn and Carys Bell of Edmonton; and three great-grandchildren. The family would like to thank the kind staff of the Lodge at Broadmead, Walter's home for the past several years, and Doug Popejoy, his dedicated friend.
Ships served in: HMCS GIVENCHY - Served in GIVENCHY as an AB. HMCS NEW WESTMINSTER - Served in NEW WESTMINSTER as an AB HMCS CAYUGA - Listed on CAYUGA'S nominal roll for 30 Jun 1951 as a P1CA3
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