ERIK AMUND ANONSEN

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ERIK AMUND ANONSEN February 2, 1926 - December 20, 2014 Erik is survived by his wife of 61 years, Gloria and five children: Victor, his wife Cathie Dobbyn and daughter Kelsey; Richard, his wife LynnAnn and his children Ann, Erik and Nina; Frances and her partner Dan; Kathy, her husband Bruce and sons Austin and Erik Paul; and David, his wife Sandy and sons Mitchell, Colton and Torrin. Dad was born in Harbour Grace, NL the youngest of four children. At an early age he followed his brother into the Air Force and fought in the Second World War. Dad was a pilot for his entire career. He flew everything from props to jets, on floats or skis. He flew the Spitfire in the Second World War; The Sabre Jet, the T33 (yes the one on Portage Avenue at Woodhaven), the Argosy, the Twin Otter, the DC3, the Dash 7 and Dash 8 and more. Dad's Air Force postings included places like Gimli, Moose Jaw, Marville, France, Saskatoon and Chicoutimi. His last posting was here in Winnipeg. Seems every time he was transferred a child was conceived. After the forces Dad went on to work for TransAir. He flew all over the north: Churchill, Rankin Inlet and more. He went for the 737 but in his 40s he was told he was too old to fly the left seat. Dad moved on to be chief pilot for a number of small regional airlines including Slate Falls Airways in Sioux Lookout ON, Lamb Air in Thompson, MB, Trans Provincial in Terrace, BC and then moved to AirBC in Richmond. He was there to usher in the era of expansion to the Dash 7 and Dash 8. After retiring from AirBC he did a short stint in Ghana, Africa. He flew the Dash 7 for a regional airline. Mom joined Dad over in Africa while he was working. That was a dream opportunity Dad couldn't refuse. Dad finally turned in his pilot wings and retired to Abbotsford. He and Mom bought a trailer and would escape to Arizona for the winter. They made trips to Winnipeg every time a grandson was born. Erik was a loving father and had a great sense of humour. When Grandpa visited with his grandsons he would wrestle and swim with the boys. He was a big kid at heart. Dad loved the ladies and was a bit of a flirt with all the wait staff in every restaurant he visited. He could drum up a conversation with anyone and was a great tipper. Dad was always playful and would arm wrestle and loved to play ball. He also had a love of classical music. Sunday afternoon was a time for music. He would play albums of Bach, Beethoven, Paganini and more. In his 60s he took up tennis and loved to play. Even in the drizzling rain he would head out to the courts to play. Thank you to all the staff at Menno Place in Abbotsford who helped care for Dad these last few years. Dad now has a new set of wings.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 27, 2014