Frank Buday was born in Slovakia in 1924. At the age of four he and his brother Joe emigrated to Canada with their mother, Mary. They joined Frank’s dad, Josef, in Alberta, where he and his brothers had established a farm in the northern town of Tilley. In this extended and isolated family, they spoke Slovak until Frank went to school and learned English. He always had fond memories of farm life, especially riding the plough horses.
The Great Depression forced Frank’s parents to move the family to the West Coast. Frank recalled their arrival by train in Vancouver and staying in a hotel in Chinatown, a very different world from small town Alberta. There were now four boys, and his father bought them a hand of bananas, something none of them had ever tasted. The family moved on to New Westminster and purchased a house on Royal Avenue for seven hundred dollars and Frank’s dad got a job at a sawmill by giving the foreman a bottle of whiskey.
Frank excelled in woodworking. In high school his teacher gave him the key to the woodworking shop so that he could return in the evenings and continue his projects. Before being drafted into the army he worked at Star Shipyards, finishing the interiors of navy cruisers. In the Canadian Scottish Regiment, he was part of the Occupation Forces and spent time in England, Belgium, and Holland. He was no great fan of army life, nonetheless he was efficient at everything he did and was offered a promotion to Corporal, which he turned down.
After the war he met Jeanette Piche, the beautiful girl who worked in Langley’s store and soda fountain, a long-time New Westminster institution. In spite of Jeanette’s father’s objection that Frank was not French, they married. Among much else, Frank and Jeanette shared a love of craftsmanship. Jeanette was a fine tailor. In the 1970s, they would design and build a summer house together in Birch Bay, Washington. They had two sons, Brian and Grant, who inherited the creative inclinations of their parents. Frank worked as an estimator at a millwork company, and at home continued to make fine furniture. He also took up golf. He read widely and, with his habitual attention to detail, never let a new word go by without looking it up in the dictionary. Honest and forthright, he will always be remembered as an honourable and stand-up guy. He is survived by his wife and sons, his brother Paul, three grandchildren, and two great- grandchildren.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Frank Joseph Buday March 21 1924 – June 1 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Vancouver, Province: Colombie britanique