Obituary
George Joseph “Joe” Arden
June 8, 1941 to June 25, 2020
Following a lengthy battle with prostate cancer, Joe passed away peacefully at the age of 79, surrounded by his immediate family. Larger than life, he was a force to be reckoned with. A “Man of Service and Volunteering”, he applied his strengths as a naval officer, firefighter, coach, referee, umpire, and community volunteer (Firefighters Benefit Association of Vancouver 1990-1993, President & Vice President of the Wilson Centre Advisory Association, Wilson Centre Senior Volunteer of the Year 2011) to name a few.
Born in Vancouver, BC, Joe was an accomplished athlete who played hockey, baseball, football, soccer, racquetball and golf and was a well-loved and respected coach in both soccer and lacrosse.
After leaving high school, Joe enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy (1959-1962), training at HMCS Cornwallis in Nova Scotia and serving on the HMCS Haida. While on leave he met his wife Judy and they moved to Ocean Falls, BC welcoming a daughter Kelly in 1963. Joe moved his young family to Vancouver when he enlisted with the Vancouver Fire Department retiring as a Captain in 1993 – 29 years later. His son Rob was born in 1966 and Joe’s family was complete in 1970 with the birth of another son Jamie and a relocation to Port Coquitlam, where he lived out the rest of his days.
Joe wore many hats – a devoted pet lover, camper, fisherman, gardener. He and Judy also travelled extensively all over the world. He was a friend to so many, and this loss will be deeply felt by all of you.
Joe is survived by his loving wife of 57 years and their three children Kelly (Darren), Rob, Jamie (Damien), 4 grandchildren Jennifer, Katie, Dylan and Tyler (Sydney) and great-grandson Carter, half-brother Mike and lifelong friends Frank and Maralynne Beatty & Fran Millar. He is pre-deceased by his parents, George and Isabel Arden and step-parents Fran Arden and George Waters.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joe Arden can be made to the Tri-City Chapter of Kidsport BC www.kidsportcanada.ca/british-columbia/tri-cities-port-moody-port-coquitlam-coquitlam/donation/ or to BC Prostate Cancer Research prostatecancerbc.ca/home/donations/
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de George Joseph Joe Arden June 25 2020..
Décès pour la Ville: Maple Ridge, Province: Colombie britanique