Obituary
Jaime BAMBALAN, Sr. “JIM”
1927 – 2021
Jim passed away February 18, 2021 in the care St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon. He died peacefully following complications from an abdominal aortic aneurysm, an enlargement in the lower part of the major vessel that supplies blood to the body.
Jim was born in his hometown of Lipit in the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines in 1927. He is the youngest among his siblings.
He spoke fondly of his childhood memories in that small town, on how fortunate he is to be able to avail the structured education that the town can offer despite having makeshift shacks for classrooms at the earlier years. He pursued higher education in the nearby town of Manaoag, attending a Catholic high school. He told stories of how the rumblings of the conflict brought about by the Second World War interrupted classes at school. Their ancestral home was sequestered and converted into a war operations headquarters by the Japanese Imperial Army. Their family was displaced, and they were forced to live with nearby relatives.
In order to contribute financially to his family, he and his older brother Romulo laboured in a nearby gold and quartz mine in the mountain province of Benguet after high school.
It is with this latter bitter memory that he wanted to make a contribution to deter detractors of the peaceful island nation of the Philippines and decided to join the Armed Forces.
He joined the Philippine Navy in 1946 at the very young age of 19. His excellence in all aspects of the rigorous training, physical and academic, earned him the opportunity to further develop his Naval training in the U.S. under the United States Navy. He worked and earned his way up the ranks honourably. He held various official titles and partook in operations while in the Navy. He was instrumental in acquiring the biggest naval ship at the time for the Philippine Navy, the RPS Datu Kalantiaw, given by the U.S. Navy under the United States Military Assistance Program between the two countries, sailing the destroyer escort from Philadelphia to Manila in December of 1967. He was part of the ship’s officers as the ship performed its peacekeeping role on the waters all over the Philippines, while also participating in live ammunition war training with allied naval forces. He retired the role of Liaison Officer for the U.S. Navy in 1969 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
He immigrated to Canada in 1983, settling in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan since. Despite being a very private person, he was very much active in the community and respected by everyone young and old. He joined the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires in 1992 to keep himself busy after retirement for which he was part of for nearly 20 years.
He held key positions of office in various organizations, most notably as a long-serving Financial Officer for the San Lorenzo Ruiz Council 11429 of the Knights of Columbus and an untiring volunteer with the Filipino-Canadian Association of Saskatoon (FILCAS).
He loved fishing and doing work around the house. He included visits to close friends during the weekends to enjoy playing the game of MahJong. His grandchildren were always entertained by his jokes, stories and a profound grasp of vocabulary. Jim had a kind heart, respects everyone in return, never complains about anything even in the worst times and treated everyone equally. Jim will be forever cherished for his quick wit, unique sense of humour and love.
Jim was very loved and respected by his family and close friends and proud of his three children and seven grandchildren. He was married for 66 years to his wife Erlinda (nee Cocal), sharing a lifetime of love and creating a home that warmly welcomed everyone.
Jim is survived by his wife Erlinda; their children Vivian (Eduardo Pulga), Jemilyn and Jaime Jr.; his grandchildren Edward (Jocelyn), Jasmine (Brennan Chilliak), Audrey, Sherilyn, James, Melanie and Melinda, and his numerous nieces and nephews in California and in the Philippines. Jim was predeceased by his father Paulino; mother Gregoria; sisters Cresencia and Providencia and brother Romulo Sr.
His remains were cremated at Mourning Glory Cremation Services in Saskatoon, SK.
A Celebration of Jim’s Life will be held with a Memorial Mass to coincide with his birthday on October 5, 2021.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jim’s memory to
The Kidney Foundation (kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/generaldonation/donations/start)
or to
Diabetes Canada (diabetes.ca/donate)
Please select “Give in Memory” with “e Card” to jim.linda.bambalan@gmail.com
Arrangements in care of Aimé Laventure – Mourning Glory Funeral Services (306) 978-5200.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jaime Bambalan, please visit our floral store.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Jaime Bambalan February 18 2021..
Mourning Glory Funeral Services
Death notice for the town of: Saskatoon, Province: Saskatchewan