Obituary of Raymond Clarence Parmiter

Halifax, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on May 28, 2014. Ray, the eldest child of William and Helena Parmiter was born in St. John’s Newfoundland in 1931 He was a real fighter, in every sense of the word. He fought a spirited battle against several forms of cancer and in his fight, showed us the value of living for the moment, value of staying positive.  As the first Newfoundlander to enlist in the Canadian Army just after Newfoundland joined confederation, Ray went on to proudly serve in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 + years with stints in Korea, Germany, and most provinces in Canada leaving the military ranked as a Master Warrant Officer. In addition to his many postings, he was particularly proud that he was able to serve with the United Nations Peacekeeping Corp assigned to Cypress.  A special thanks to the military guardian angel who watched over Ray during his military career. After retiring from the Military, he first tried his hand at operating a small business in the form of television repair,  although he loved to tinker, the business just wasn’t challenging enough so he put his organizational and managerial skills to work as the manager of the Royal Newfoundland Yacht Club for five years.  Retiring from the yacht club, he moved on to working for Statistics Canada as the Newfoundland Western Regional Manager off and on for the next ten years. At that same time Ray and Hughina’s entrepreneurial spirit rose again and they owned and operated a large variety store in Hubbards where they lived until they finally retired for good in Halifax in 1998.  Ray found a renewed passion for playing the guitar, tinkering, gardening, painting landscapes and supporting Hughina in her volunteer work at Veritas Catholic Books and many other charitable pursuits. Ray was a kind, gentle, and compassionate soul who cared deeply about his family and friends. On this day, the world is a little less gentle and a little less bright for all who loved Ray. Left to mourn his passing is his beloved wife of 59 years, Hughina, their two daughters, Jennifer (Ron), Rhonda (Dave), their only son Raymond (Patty), and their grandchildren, Sandy, Andrea (Josh), Christine and Anthony.   Also feeling the loss are Ray’s brother Edward (Sally), sister, Marg and cousin Janet (Paul) and friends. Arrangements are under the care of J. Albert Walker Funeral Home (2005) Ltd. (477-5601) 149 Herring Cove Rd., where visitation will be held on Friday, May 30th from 6-8 pm.  A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, May 31 10:30 am from St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church 26 Purcells Cove Rd. Interment to take place in St. John’s Cemetery Halifax. By request, family flowers only, donations in memory of Ray may be made to Veritas Catholic Books. Thank you to everyone for  your prayers, thoughts, and support.  With special thanks to good friend, Lorraine MacDonald, for her loving kindness to Ray.   We would also like to thank Marion Kennedy, Veterans Affairs Canada, Glenna Thornhill, Palliative Care, and the VON team, Dr. Patrick Somers for their expertise, compassion and understanding.