Peter Bowle-Evans

Obituary

Peter Bowle-Evans, husband, father, friend, sportsman, passionate skier and hang glider pilot, and committed community member, died in the afternoon of January 16th, skiing in his beloved back country of Golden. Peter loved Golden and his life here. He often said if he never went 50 miles from Golden for the rest of his life, he would still be happy.

Peter visited Canada for the first time at the age of 19, after growing up in Purleigh England. His Parents were Joan [née Archer] Cook and Guy Bowle-Evans.

Peter's father was a pilot in WW II where he flew rescue planes. He died at the age of 27. Peter always dreamt about being a pilot one day, inspired by his father. Colour blindness prevented him from following this career - he had to find another way to fly.

Joan later married Stanley Cook, who became a wonderful stepfather to Peter. Joan still resides in Purleigh and is a devoted gardener. Peter was an avid rock climber while still living in England, and experienced skiing for the first time in 1963. He unlocked a passion that English winter that stayed with him all his life.

In 1965, taking a break between high school and University he moved to Canada and experienced skiing at Whistler in its very first year as an operating ski hill, before its major development. He also skied at Lake Louise. The die was cast - he fell in love with the mountains, with skiing and with British Columbia. He returned to England and earned his Civil engineering degree at Sheffield University, before returning to Canada permanently in 1971. He never looked back, and became a Canadian citizen as soon as he could.

He met Brenda Milne in 1972 at Soo Valley, in Whistler. It was a magical time and place to be young. Love could not be escaped. The following year they traveled east to Nova Scotia, in a blue International Travel - All truck, with two dogs and a full set of teepee poles on the roof. They cut a deal in Nova Scotia for a 1920s Bridgewall wood stove, and brought it out west with them. The stove is still going strong, having produced many meals and lots of heat too!

Brenda and Peter spent a year in Knowlton, Québec working at Mt. Echo ski hill in the eastern townships, before returning west and marrying in Vancouver in December 1974. They honeymooned at the Vancouver Hotel with a meal of pheasant under glass. Peter had got his girl - his lady for life!

Peter and Brenda bought property in Golden and built their present home in 1975. Peter hewed the logs off his own property with Brenda as his able bodied assistant – by the end of the summer they could move out of the teepee and into their own home. Peter honed his carpentry skills over the years, continually adding to their home in the woods.

The teepee

 

In 1980 they welcomed their son Morgan into their hearts, and lives and beautiful home. Peter's love for his son was immense, there was nothing he wouldn't do for him, even though he had to share his beloved lady! Their family life was rich with dogs and cats and horses and wildlife, skiing and mountains, and friends.

Peter initiated the Ski School for Whitetooth Mountain and with Dan Ringheim started the Nancy Green Race Program in Golden. He loved showing people how to ski and taught many local people to ski, including his best friend Kuba. He loved inspiring children to ski also, and passing on his excitement to them. He taught Morgan to ski at age three, and as adults they did extensive ski touring together. It was during these years that Peter developed his love for ski touring, and exploring the back country. He thrived on adventure and new challenges.

In the late 1980s Peter took up hang-gliding and learned to hang-glide from Willy Muller. He attained his Master Rating at a level 5. He loved soaring with the eagles and even had one fly through his wings. He was flying now!

He taught his son Morgan to paraglide at 13, passing on the passion! He was also instrumental in bringing the National Hang-Gliding Championship to Golden. Using his civil engineering background he helped get Golden onto the International Flying stage He wrote proposals, and was tenacious in pursuing results. His strong focus and passion at many town meetings achieved the results and improvements to the road and the Mt. 7 flying site that the Hang Gliding community badly needed. He succeeded in getting a much appreciated outhouse complex complete with T.P. on the mountain! [very well appreciated by all.]

Peter had a long career as a civil engineer in the Golden Area. He worked on the high speed quad in Lake Louise, the trestle bridges in Rogers Pass, most recently in his own business – Kapristo Solutions; In Kapristo Solutions he found the work satisfaction immense and often worked past midnight on different projects. He worked on the Park Bridge concrete testing in Golden, ensuring bridge safety into the future. He especially enjoyed mapping for Chatter Creek and other lodges - with the added work bonus of checking out the back country terrain - on skis! He was single minded in his work, focused and meticulous in everything he put his hand and mind to, giving 120 percent of his effort to every project.

It was in the early nineties that Peter started writing, both for pleasure and for purpose, sometimes proposals, some times articles about his experiences, and sometimes his thoughts and dreams. He was published in Cross Country International, Coulier magazine, and he wrote a weekly column in the Golden Star on Hang Gliding. He also contributed articles to numerous websites. He believed in living life fully and experientially - experiencing every day for what it had to offer, and his writing was reflective of the intimacy and thrill that he felt with nature and the outdoors.

He loved the mountains, the air, and the sky; he loved his family, his friends and his community. Brenda's passion is horses – so they had a gentleman's agreement at the start of their marriage that Brenda could have one. Brenda, years later had to tell Peter that horses are like potato chips – you cannot have just one! Peter built [albeit with some grumbles] riding rings, haylofts and fences for Brenda's horses. And together they transformed their home nestled in the woods into an idyllic retreat as special and unique as themselves.

Peter loved to dance, and Brenda and Peter last kicked up the rug at the Trans Park Christmas Party in Calgary this December. They danced the night away together, sometimes the only couple on the floor, their love still as young as their hearts.

Peter Guy Bowle-Evans

Sept 27 1946 Birmingham England

January 16 2008 Golden British Columbia, Canada.