Joseph David Bartram

Joseph David Bartram, 73, of Victoria BC, beloved husband and best friend of Marianne (Vanwel) passed away peacefully in his sleep at Victoria Hospice on March 27, 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer. David's time in Hospice was spent surrounded by the ones he lived for, laughed with and loved the most. He was predeceased by his first wife Lura Bartram (Prouty) and parents Joseph Thomas and Claudia Bartram of Ottawa, Ontario. David was born on September 8, 1941 in Ottawa. David was career military having joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Private at the age of 17. David had an outstanding career spanning 36 years with postings across Canada, the United States and abroad. He had achieved the rank of Major when he retired in 1994. David proposed to Marianne while parasailing in North Carolina and they married in Nanaimo in 2002. David and Marianne shared a passion for travel and adventure and spent most their free time traveling the world together. In order to fund this rather expensive passion, they worked together as a dynamic team managing retirement residences for Holiday Retirement Corp until they were forced to stop due to his illness. They worked tirelessly to create a caring environment of laughter and fun. Residents were always entertained by their creative and crazy Halloween costumes. David was also well known for his fashion sense. Residents and staff often commented that he was a truly gentle man. David always had the gift of gab and he particularly enjoyed discussing politics with friends and family. Not always on the same side of the issues he was, nevertheless, quite willing to entertain ideas of opposing views. David was also a lover of the electronic world and believed if one iPad was good, three were better. He loved working on his computer whether he was working on the family tree, researching the latest and greatest technologies or just chilling on Facebook. David's strength, sense of humour, one liners and random funny stories will forever be treasured by his family and friends. David is survived by his beautiful wife Marianne, the children he adored, Steven, Tracy (Mac), Michelle (Randy), Roland (Gina), Andrew (Jessica), the seven grandchildren he cherished, Taylor, Jessica, Christian, Amanda, Taylor, Morgan and Jax and many other relatives and friends . David was a loving father, husband, grandfather and friend to all. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Doctors, staff and volunteers at Victoria Hospice. Their dedication and efforts to provide quality care over the last several months were a heartwarming blessing to the entire family. At David's request the family will not be holding a memorial service. Burial will be at the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa at the Bartram family site. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Victoria Hospice, 4th Floor Richmond Pavilion, 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, BC, V8R 1J8 or at victoriahospice.org

Victoria Hospice