William "Wayne" Howard March

Wayne March passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at his home in Salmon Arm, BC, his wife Mary by his side; he was 80 years of age. In declining health for the past year, he was surrounded by the love of his large blended family.

Born on January 22, 1944, Wayne was pre-deceased by parents Jack Wilson (also known as Robert Howard Ormrod) in 1988 and Bernadine George Henderson in 1994; siblings Brian Richard Wilson, Barry March, and Diane McKenzie; wife Lorraine March; and step-daughter Linda Rollier, and Linda's son Shon Wilson.

He is survived by his wife Mary Rollier March; siblings Danny March of Revelstoke, Wendy (Max) Lewin of Calgary, and Darryl (Rose) March of Vancouver; children Cindy (Roger) Luettecke, Dawn-ann (Travis) Thys, and Robyn Raitt Thompson; step-children Steven (Rhea) Brant, Kimberly (Paul McCann) Brant, Laura (Ryan Scott) Young, Lisa (Tim Wocknitz) Rollier; and many grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

A resident of Salmon Arm, BC for the past three years, and formerly residing in Sicamous, BC for nearly four decades, Wayne had a huge heart made of gold: he loved his large family unconditionally, it didn’t matter if they were related to him by blood or by marriage; he was passionate about serving his community; he loved and treated all of his many friends like family; and even strangers were just friends he hadn’t met yet.

Wayne was a proud veteran, and as a young man he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 11 years with the Queen’s Own Rifles, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, and the Canadian Airborne Regiment, also completing two tours of duty in Cyprus as a UN Peacekeeper in 1964 and 1970. During his service, Wayne – along with other members of his platoon – was a subject in chemical weapons testing and training, and while participating in a military exchange program he was seriously wounded in combat in Vietnam.

After his honourable discharge from military service, over the years Wayne lived in Mackenzie (where he met his wife Lorraine), Kamloops, Sicamous, and Salmon Arm, BC (where he met his wife Mary). Committed to giving back to his community, Wayne was always an active volunteer: he was a dedicated organizer of the “Moose-Mouse Days” festival and a popular fishing derby in Sicamous for many years, and as an avid sports fan he organized recreational sports such as soccer and hockey throughout his life. And Wayne’s dedication to service was recognized with a Citizen of the Year Award.

Known as “Mr. Hockey,” he was loved and respected for his decades-long contributions to hockey in Sicamous as: past general manager of the Sicamous Eagles senior recreational hockey club; past general manager and past president of the Sicamous Eagles Junior ‘B’ hockey club (KIJHL), supporting the dreams of countless junior hockey players for over two decades — some who later played on Junior ‘A’ hockey teams, in the WHL, on European teams, in college hockey, or with the NHL; much-loved “billet dad” for 18 years of over 100 Sicamous Eagles hockey players; and manager of the Sicamous & District Recreation Centre for 13 years, until his retirement in 2021.

Wayne also loved the outdoors, and in his retirement enjoyed RVing, boating, and fishing with his wife Mary and their families at favourite spots throughout BC’s Shuswap, Kootenay, and Cariboo regions.

Wayne touched the lives of so many, and he will be sorely missed.

A sincere thank you to the nursing staff at Shuswap Lake General Hospital for their kind care of Wayne in recent weeks, and for their assistance with his courtyard wedding to Mary on August 20, 2024.

And special thanks to Mary for her tireless care of Wayne in his last months, and to step-son Steven Brant for his ever-ready support of Wayne.

A celebration of life will be taking place on April 26, 2025 @ 1p.m at the Gathering Place in Salmon Arm.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the BC Lung Foundation, or a charitable organization of one’s choice, or attend a hockey game in memory of Wayne.

REMEMBER ME

To the living, I am gone,

To the sorrowful, I will never return,

To the angry, I was cheated,

But to the happy, I am at peace,

And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen.

I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.

So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,

As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,

Remember me.

Remember me in your heart:

Your thoughts, and your memories,

Of the times we loved,

The times we cried,

The times we fought,

The times we laughed.

For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

— Margaret Mead

Wayne met Mary Rollier, in the spring of 2019. Their friendship blossomed and they soon became a couple. In May of 2021, they purchased a home together in Salmon Arm. Wayne was delighted with his new extended family, especially the addition of more grandchildren and great grandchildren, who soon started calling him Poppa Wayne. Over the next five years, Wayne and Mary enjoyed many trips around B.C., particularly to Loon Lake and Sheridan Lake, where they loved to fish. When Wayne's health began to deteriorate this past year, the motorhome keys were hung up, and they were happy to just enjoy their home, neighborhood, and view of the Shuswap lake, from their new deck. Wayne and Mary were married on August 20, 2024, at the Shuswap Lake Hospital. Wayne spent his last days, in his own home, as was his wish.  He will be sorely missed by Mary, and all of his new extended family.