Obituary of Frank Capewell

CAPEWELL, Frank 1922 –2011 Of London, Ontario passed away peacefully on February 7 at Parkwood Hospital, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Devoted husband to Nadia (Palan), proud father of Vivian (Jerry Lacina), Christine (Tim Dillon), and Jean (Dave Lewis) and very proud grandfather to Mariel, Claire, Jake, Kyle and Jennie. Frank was born in Birmingham, England and enlisted in the British Army in 1939. He served in the 7th Armoured Division in North Africa with the “Desert Rats” and in Italy until 1945. After WWII, he graduated in Gas Engineering from the Central Institute of Technology in Birmingham. He worked in Birmingham until 1950 when he left England for a job in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There he met his future wife, Nadia. They married in 1953 and immediately left for another adventure, emigrating to Montreal, Canada, where he found a job with Domtar. In 1956 Frank became the Manager of the Guelph Gas Company in Guelph, Ontario and in 1957 he became the Northern Region Superintendent at Union Gas Co. Ltd. in Chatham, Ontario. In Chatham, Frank enjoyed a long career with Union Gas and eventually became the Executive Vice-President. He retired from Union Gas in 1983 and then served as the President of the Canadian Gas Association. He was also a Director of the Canadian Gas Association, served on the Council of the International Gas Union and was a member of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham. Although he was not born in Canada, Frank was a proud Canadian. He was very much aware of the great opportunities he was given in Canada. He enjoyed downhill skiing with his family for many years. He enjoyed travelling the world with Nadia and had a great interest in the Middle East and the field of archaeology. He was a very dedicated father and will be greatly missed. The family would like to thank all of the wonderful staff on 5A North at Parkwood Hospital for the care and support they provided to Frank and his family. Visitation will be held at the WESTVIEW FUNERAL CHAPEL, 709 Wonderland Road North, London on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 2 – 4 pm and 7 – 9 pm. Funeral service will be held Saturday, February 12 at 4:30 pm at the Westview Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Society Canada through www.westviewfuneralchapel.com. Expressions of sympathy may also be offered at www.westviewfuneralchapel.com.