Ed was born in Brantford Ontario and passed away at home in Vernon, BC, surrounded by family, after two bouts of cancer.
He joined the army, 1PPCI, and served from 1974 to 1998, with a two-year break from 1987 to 1989. Turns out civilian life was more dangerous, as he was involved in a serious car accident while working as a courier, so he re-enlisted in the military for 9 more years. When he finally retired in 1998, he enrolled at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he earned a degree as a personal trainer and certified fitness instructor. He joked that he was the oldest member of his family to get a university degree. He thoroughly enjoyed his second career, was working first at Dimensions and then at Snap Fitness until 2020 when illness forced him to quit. In 2011, he, with his wife Eva, became snowbirds and travelled to Mesa, Arizona every winter. When they returned in the spring, he continued seeing his clients at the gym.
He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying fishing, hunting, and camping. He entered several triathlons in Canada, and later participated in marathons in the US. He ran his last marathon in February, 2020. He was also an avid reader and he loved history. He had an amazing memory and remembered names, dates, and all sorts of trivia. When we needed confirmation of a fact or date or information on something, we used to say let’s “Ed-it” it.
He will be missed terribly by his wife Eva, His children Mike (Michele) of West Kelowna, Steve of Vancouver, Shelley (Mark) of Vernon and his two grandchildren Kayla and Jared of Calgary. He is also survived by his mother, Ruth of Waterford, ON, and his sister Linda (Jaro) and brother Tom of Toronto, as well as his niece Lauren and Nephew Lucas of Toronto. He was predeceased by his father Bruno in 2018
A celebration of life will be held for Ed at a later date.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ed Karl Pope December 14th 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Vernon, Province: Colombie britanique
Ed was a wonderful neighbour and a wealth of all military history. His knowledge was unsurpassed. I always enjoyed our talks . He was proud of his service to Canada and the time spent with the PPCLI. We are proud of him. A big man with a bigger heart. He will be missed.