Funeral services held for decorated 100-year-old Canadian fighter ace
Funeral services were held Friday morning for Second World War fighter ace James "Stocky" Edwards in Courtenay, B.C.
Edwards was a decorated Canadian fighter pilot who died on May 14 in his home just three weeks shy of his 101st birthday, with his wife, Toni, and close friends by his side.
James 'Stocky' Edwards was widely considered Canada’s greatest living fighter pilot. (Submitted)
Prior to the service at Christ the King Catholic Church, Edwards' daughter, Dorothy Edwards, shared some of her memories of her father with the media.
"It's a really sad day. He's my dad and he's not here now, but he was a hero when we needed heroes and now we need them again," she said.
Dorothy called her father an inspiration and noted that the funeral was being attended by many military personnel and friends who also admired him.
'DID EVERYTHING HE COULD'
Edwards was active in various charities and outdoor activities right up until his death.
"I think that he passed happily knowing that he did everything he could," said Edwards.
"Almost all [his interests] had the outdoors in common and the environment," she said. "He was a hunter and a fisherman and a painter. He had a whole lot of [passions], more than hobbies because he did them so well and for so long."
Edwards was well known internationally for his achievements, even being decorated several times by both Canada and France.
He was known for being humble, and his daughter says his children were unaware of their father's heroic past.
James 'Stocky' Edwards
"We didn't know at all about his heroism during the war and when we started to ask he would just pass it off," she said. "He was humble but proud in a very, very quiet way."
It wasn't until her father was approached by others that Edwards and her siblings realized the details of Edwards' past.
"People started just coming to seek him out from all over the world, really. He would accommodate everyone. He would do that with strangers that were interested," said Edwards.
Two Canadian military CF-18s jets and a Cormorant helicopter conducted a flyover above the church as Edwards' casket was being moved Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | Person of interest identified in Chicago-area July 4 parade shooting that left 6 dead
Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said Monday afternoon that police have identified 22-year-old Robert E. Crimo III as a person of interest and cautioned he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Former Sask. premier Brad Wall gave strategic advice to key convoy organizer
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
Daughter of Toronto Blue Jays coach killed in 'terrible accident' while tubing in U.S.
The 17-year-old daughter of the Toronto Blue Jays' first base coach died in a 'terrible accident' while tubing in the U.S. this weekend.
U.S. man to be charged with kidnapping, rape after Edmonton teen found: Oregon police
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
'It's the real deal': Doctors warn about future wave fuelled by Omicron variants
COVID-19 cases are rising again in Canada, with the two fast-spreading Omicron sub-variants known as BA.4 and BA.5 to blame. CTVNews.ca has a guide to what you need to know about the new variants.
NEW | Saanich, B.C. bank shooter was rejected by military, CAF says
One of the twin brothers who was killed in a shootout with police outside a bank in Saanich, B.C., last week had applied to join the Canadian Armed Forces but was rejected, a military spokesperson confirmed Monday.
Canada signs $20B compensation agreement on First Nations child welfare
The federal government says it has signed a $20-billion final settlement agreement to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by chronic underfunding of child welfare.
Canada Soccer makes new compensation offer to its national teams
Canada Soccer says it has made a new compensation offer to its men's and women's national teams.
Canadian airlines, airports top global list of delays over the weekend
Canadian airlines and airports claimed top spots in flight delays over the July long weekend, notching more than nearly any other around the world.
Vancouver
-
Vaccine doses for 'everyone' this fall, B.C. minister says as next COVID-19 wave approaches
With researchers anticipating another COVID-19 wave this summer, B.C. health officials are once again urging the public to get vaccinated – especially the 1.3 million residents sitting on unused booster invitations.
-
1 injured in shooting near Burnaby cemetery, RCMP say
Authorities say one person was injured in a shooting near a Burnaby, B.C., cemetery Monday.
-
Man charged with attempted murder in Williams Lake, B.C. stampede shooting
One of the two people shot at a rodeo in B.C. Sunday was an innocent bystander, according to police.
Edmonton
-
U.S. man to be charged with kidnapping, rape after Edmonton teen found: Oregon police
A 41-year-old man will be charged with kidnapping and rape after an Edmonton girl who was missing for more than a week was found, Oregon City Police said.
-
Man arrested in pair of Edmonton mass shootings
A 34-year-old man has been charged in two mass shootings that killed a total of two people and injured 12 in Edmonton.
-
Edmonton boosts snow and ice budget by $4.7M; additional $54M on the table
Edmonton will dip into reserve funds in an effort to improve road and sidewalk conditions this upcoming winter.
Toronto
-
Toronto must review 'clean-shave' N95 mask policy after Sikh workers laid off, demoted: advocacy group
A national Sikh advocacy organization said it is prepared to take the City of Toronto to the provincial human rights tribunal if a reasonable resolution cannot be reached about its so-called 'clean-shave' policy.
-
Daughter of Toronto Blue Jays coach killed in 'terrible accident' while tubing in U.S.
The 17-year-old daughter of the Toronto Blue Jays' first base coach died in a 'terrible accident' while tubing in the U.S. this weekend.
-
Ontario has entered another wave of COVID-19, experts say
Ontario has entered a summer wave of COVID-19 as hospitalizations and cases slowly creep upwards, infectious experts say.
Calgary
-
Falconridge shooting leaves man dead, 2 people in custody
One person is dead and several homes were evacuated following a Monday morning shooting in a northeast Calgary neighbourhood.
-
RCMP investigate crash between semi-truck, pickup truck near Brooks
Alberta RCMP are investigating a serious crash between a semi-truck and a pickup truck near Brooks.
-
Body found on QEII Highway near Airdrie
RCMP investigators are seeking dash cam footage after a man was found dead on the QEII Highway near Airdrie early Monday morning.
Montreal
-
2 million litres of milk dumped after Quebec dairy plant labour dispute
A labour dispute at a Quebec dairy plant has led to the dumping of 2 million litres of milk since Wednesday.
-
Ultrasounds no longer required in Quebec before getting abortion pill
Until now, Quebec has required patients to have ultrasounds before getting the pills that induce a medical abortion. In the rest of Canada, that measure was abandoned in 2019.
-
Mariupol to Montreal: Ukrainian mother escapes 'hell on Earth' with two daughters
Hanna Kovalenko was leading a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two little girls in Mariupol, Ukraine, when all of a sudden her hometown became the epicentre of a full-scale war.
Atlantic
-
CAT ferry keeping pace with pre-pandemic sales
The CAT ferry, which sails between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbour, Maine, has sold more than 20,000 tickets so far this year, that’s up from the 15,100 tickets sold as of June 7.
-
N.S. woman calls for private fireworks regulation after her dog dies 'scared and alone'
Canada Day weekend fireworks have sparked more calls to either regulate or ban backyard fireworks displays in Nova Scotia.
-
Inflation relief payments on the way for P.E.I. residents
Over 90,000 Prince Edward Island residents will see a top-up in their bank accounts to help alleviate the pressure of record inflation rates affecting the cost of living in the province.
Winnipeg
-
Man dead in Sunday morning shooting: Winnipeg police
Winnipeg police say a 59-year-old man is dead after an early morning shooting in the south end of the city on Sunday.
-
Winnipeg man stole and crashed a car, bit officer during arrest: police
Winnipeg police have charged a man after investigators say he stole a car, crashed it and bit an officer while being arrested.
-
'I would have done the same thing:' Bowness OK with being Jets' second choice
Rick Bowness doesn't mind being the second choice. The new Winnipeg Jets head coach took part in his first press conference Monday, a little more than a week after first target Barry Trotz declined the team's offer because the veteran wanted to spend more time with his family.
Kitchener
-
'I was legitimately terrified': Encampment resident recounts armed police response
What ended up being a false alarm saw Waterloo regional police respond to a weapons call at a Kitchener encampment with guns drawn on Saturday.
-
Up in smoke: Recent cannabis store closures in Uptown Waterloo could be signs of oversaturated market
Cannabis shops cropped up quickly across Waterloo region, but it seems some are now closing shop shortly after they arrived. At least one expert says the shift could point to signs of saturation as the heavily competitive fight for cannabis sales takes its toll.
-
Driveway paved without permission needs to be ripped up, says Puslinch, Ont. homeowner
A Puslinch, Ont. woman says her driveway will need to be repaved less than month after she came home to find strangers working on it without her prior consent.
Regina
-
Man dead following collision with semi southeast of Regina: RCMP
A man from the White Butte area died following a two vehicle crash between a semi and a compact SUV southeast of Regina on Thursday.
-
Former Sask. premier Brad Wall gave strategic advice to key convoy organizer
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
-
Second teenager charged in Rae Street homicide: Regina police
A 17-year-old boy is the second teenager to be charged in the city’s sixth homicide of 2022, the Regina Police Service (RPS) said in a news release.
Barrie
-
Valuable jewelry stolen from Barrie family's home during brazen break-in
Chase Mariano's family left their east Barrie home for less than two hours and returned to find a broken window, bedrooms torn apart and a lot of valuable jewelry missing.
-
Devastating fire rips through multi-unit building killing two people
A deadly fire tore through a multi-unit building in Caledon on Friday morning.
-
Change of plans for roughly 200 campers amid COVID-19 outbreak at Huntsville camp
An overnight camp in Huntsville was forced to cancel for two weeks at the start of the camping season due to a COVID-19 outbreak among multiple staff members.
Saskatoon
-
7-year-old boy dead in Saskatoon following river incident
A seven-year-old boy is dead after an incident on the river over the weekend.
-
'No cuddling': Sask. wildlife rescue nurses orphaned badger back to health
Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation staff are getting a crash course in caring for an animal they've never had before — a badger.
-
Former Sask. premier Brad Wall gave strategic advice to key convoy organizer
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall was in contact with a key organizer of the Freedom Convoy anti-mandate protest, providing strategic advice before and after the Ottawa occupation began, according to court records obtained by CTV News.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury, Ont., pharmacy worker wrote $1.5M in fake fentanyl prescriptions
A former employee at the Rexall Pharmacy on Bancroft Drive in Sudbury pleaded guilty Monday to writing fake fentanyl prescriptions worth more than $1.5 million.
-
Contractor sues Timmins gold miner for $7.4M
Gowest Gold Ltd. in Timmins announced Monday it is being sued by North Bay-based Cementation Canada Inc. for $7.4 million.
-
Sudbury police search for suspect following early morning car chase
One young offender is in custody and police are searching for a second in Sudbury following a car theft July 2.