George Sidney Terrance “Terry” Panton, born November 13, 1932 in Dauphin, Manitoba passed away July 3, 2017 in Trail,B.C.
We remember Terry as the loving husband of Betty, married for 61 years and sharing life’s many great adventures….forever side by side, both of their lives changed forever after that St. Patrick’s day dance in 1955. They started their family in Nelson and eventually moved to the “Home of Champions” in 1967. Terry was a member of Rossland-Trail Golf Club for 50 years where his passion for golf was shared with his wife, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so many in the community. He garnered multiple Club Championships in both Trail and Nelson, scoring several holes in one along the way, but a sign in front of his home forever declared that the best score of his life was always his wife Betty. Terry was a fixture on driving ranges from Vancouver to Kelowna to the Kootenays to Edmonton and was a strong force in starting the West Kootenay Junior Golf Circuit, which has produced strong players in the Region ever since. Lesser known in this area was the fact that he was also a professional snooker and billiards player back in his earlier years in Vancouver and Victoria, later becoming a fixture in money games upon arriving in Nelson.
Terry worked for Canada Manpower for over 35 years where his passion was recruiting new immigrants to the Kootenays. He was always excited when working on projects bringing tradesmen from Europe or doctors from South Africa. He always went above and beyond at work, including hosting war-torn refugees in his own home and helping them get settled in local communities. Once retired, Terry found joy in donating his famous baking to the Daly Pavilion, the Food Bank, and the Youth Center in Trail. Terry was well known in these endeavours to spark conversation with anyone and everyone with whom he crossed paths.
Terry is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Betty Panton, brother Clive Panton, sons Randy Panton (Pam) and David Panton, and daughter Sandra Wallace(Ted). He is also survived by his 6 grandchildren Vicky Dobie (Curt)-children Jackson and Mason; Ray Wallace (Elicia); Marcy Jorgenson (Ty)-children Jake and Cooper; Brad Panton (Chelsie)-children Oliver and Benjamin; Brittney Panton; and Shauna Panton. Our family could not have asked for a more selfless, loving, kind, devoted father, grandfather and great grandfather and words cannot express how much he will be missed. Memories of great family picnics with homemade cookies and hot chocolate, teenage driving lessons, sharing ice cream and family photos, the traditional family reading of “The Night Before Christmas”, and many more will be forever cherished.
A private service was held for Terry on July 8, 2017.
Memorial contributions may be made in the form of a donation to one of the local Search and Rescue Organizations who helped in the search.
A special thanks from the family to the dedicated members of the Rossland, South Columbia, Castlegar, Nelson, Grand Forks and Creston Search and Rescue teams.