May 27^th, 1930 – January 23^rd 2020

Smokey passed away peacefully in the early hours of January 23^rd after approximately 10 years battling Alzheimer’s.

He was the eldest child of Omer and Ida Cartier and was born in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. Then followed three more boys, and three girls – Wilfred, Leon, Norbert, Emily, Celia, and Lorraine.

His early years were spent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan where along with his wife Lou, raised three children – Lyle, Debra, and Shelly. They moved to BC in the 60’s where Omer became a Millwright – a job he did until his retirement.

Through all of these years, country music was a huge part of his life. He played bass, and sang in several bands, and never missed an opportunity to entertain family and friends.

In the mid 80’s he met and married Jean and life changed for him. His family grew with the addition of Jean’s children Shauna, Ronna and Bobbi and later their spouses and children. At Jean’s insistence J  He tried many new ventures – cross country skiing, cycling, back packing in the BC and AB mountains, and he loved walking. He even agreed to wear silly costumes for Halloween or for theme parties. Then, when they were both retired, they traveled to Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, bought a camper, and spent a lot of time at local fishing lakes.

He continued with his music and there were frequent jam sessions in their home in Brocklehurst. He also began woodworking – he couldn’t resist buying new tools. He was an amazing handyman and was always fixing something.

Smokey was a humble and kind man and in his quiet way, touched many people’s lives. He will be missed by his siblings, his children and stepchildren and their spouses, 14 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, nephews and nieces and his many friends. His wife Jean will be forever grateful for the almost 34 years of friendship and happiness.

A sincere thank you to the staff at Gemstone Care Centre for being so very nice to Smokey and to Jean during his stay with them. They were able to make him smile when he could no longer talk. I wish they had known him before the illness. There is no memorial service planned at this time.

Condolences may be expressed at https://www.drakecremation.com/

• Date : 2020-01-23
• Location : Kamloops, BC