Peter Hay

        Peter Hay was our dad, and today my siblings and I are remembering him as a dad who was deeply involved in our lives. In the early morning hours of Sunday, September 10, 2023, Dad died peacefully in his sleep.  Our memories of him go back many years, and the most enduring of them are from a summer long ago when one of our young playmates came regularly to our house to ask, “Can Mr. Hay come out to play?”  “Coming out to play” was what Mr. Hay did best as a dad, whether it was playing “catch” with us on the front lawn with childhood friends, leading my siblings and me, and any of our playmates who wanted to tag along on a bicycle tour of the neighbourhood, or exploring in nearby Fish Creek Park. 

Exploring with us was what Dad loved to do most and as we got older we explored further afield.  Summer after summer during vacation we kids piled into the family station wagon (lovingly named the Haywagon), Mom and Dad hitched up the tent trailer, and off we went.  By the time we were teenagers we had seen parts of every province in Canada, from Prince Rupert in British Columbia to Cape Spear in Newfoundland.  And to the north, it was Dawson City where we learned how to pan for gold. 

As we got older and our play moved into team sports Dad was always there, on a soccer field or in a hockey rink or from the bleachers of a school gymnasium, cheering us on.  He taught us to paddle a canoe, took us to swimming lessons, and for a change of pace, encouraged us to love reading. 

Dad was many things, a respected geologist, an avid reader, an enthusiastic bridge player, a determined hiker, and an inveterate traveller, but his most cherished roles were devoted husband and loving father.  His travels took him to almost every part of the world, but home was always where he wanted to be.  He loved family gatherings, especially family dinners where he could enjoy his favourite cake or pie which he could never seem to get enough of.  In asking everyone for a favourite memory of Dad, his frequently heard offer, “If you have any trouble finishing that dessert I can help you out.” was the unanimous winner!  

Dad always said that the most significant events in his life were his marriage to Mom (he said he struck gold marrying her!) and the births of his beloved children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  At this moment it is profoundly painful to think about a life without him, but we will remember him forever as one of the pillars in our lives.  As a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather he loved us deeply, as we loved him.  I can think of no better memory to exemplify his life than the one we have of a little boy asking, “Can Mr. Hay come out to play?”   For each of us Dad always, always came out to play.   

Dad will be lovingly remembered by our mom Adele, daughters Rosemary (Brian), Lillian (Steve), and Susan (Dean), sons Stephen (Karine) and Robert (Kim), grandchildren Erin (Nick), Katie (Will) and Libby, Stephanie (Danny), Allison, Danielle and Matthew, Ryan and Kyle, Étiene, Rémi and Justine, and his great-grandchildren William and Gabriel.  He was predeceased by his mother and stepfather, Elizabeth and René Cera.

Our family is grateful to the dedicated staff on Units 61 and 71 at Rockyview General Hospital and at Midnapore AgeCare Centre for their kindness in the care of our dad. 

Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, (1600 Acadia Drive SE), on Friday, September 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.  A reception will follow at the church.

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