Obituary of John Fryer

John Fryer of Camrose Alberta passed away peacefully at St. Mary's Hospital on Saturday, March 26th, 2016. John, the only child of Leslie and Gertrude (Lloyd) Fryer, was born in the town of Disley, Cheshire, England on July 6th, 1938. It was in Southport, England where his parents owned a newsagent, that John met his life-long love Irene at the age of 10. After finishing technical school, John apprenticed for six years in the printing trade before working as a Linotype Operator at the Southport Visiter. John and Irene were married on September 5th, 1959. Their first daughter Deborah, was born in 1961, followed in 1963 by daughter Diane. John was a hard-working, resourceful man who wanted the best life possible for his family. It was this desire that prompted the family to emigrate to Canada (St. Albert) in September 1967, where John worked at the Edmonton Journal for four years. After a nearly two year return to England, the family returned to Canada making their home in Edmonton and John worked for a local wedding invitation printer. In 1976, John's entrepreneurial spirit took the family to Sedgewick, where they owned and operated the Pioneer Hotel until 1979. Three months after leaving Sedgewick, they bought a motel in Lloydminster for a short period of time, before retiring to St. Albert. Retirement didn't last for long! In 1983, John and Irene moved back to Sedgewick where they took on the custodial contract at Killam Public School for the next nine years. It was during this time, that they were able to enjoy their travels. They spent a month each summer in England and began to venture to Yuma, Arizona in the winter for short periods, eventually spending "six months less a day". It was in Yuma that retirement took on a whole new meaning! John loved everything about their winter home which he enjoyed for 22 years. In 2007, John and Irene had moved to Camrose, where he was able to spend more time with his family. John loved it when his great grandchildren came for a visit. The past two years had been hard for John as his lung condition deteriorated. As we remember John, we can be comforted knowing that he lived a full and active life. Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 56 years, Irene; daughters Deborah (Andy) and Diane (Kevin); grandchildren Kristine (Darrell), Joel (Lindsey), Eryn-Leigh (Jay), Jason (Jennifer) and Nicole; eleven great-grandchildren; brother-in-law John (Lorraine); nephew Steven and his son; niece Vikki (Brian) and their children; as well as numerous friends. John was pre-deceased by his parents Leslie and Gertrude. A funeral service was held on Thursday March 31, 2016, at 1:00 pm from the Burgar Memorial Chapel, with Rev. Frank Wilson officiating . Inurnment will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions are gratefully accepted to the The Heart and Stroke Foundation, or to the Lung Association.