William Webb Cummings (July 26, 1926 to June 18, 2013) passed away peacefully surrounded by loving members of his family at the New Denver Hospital Pavilion after a short illness and after a very full and rewarding life.
He was a professional engineer specializing in mining geology and worked throughout Canada and occasionally in other parts of the world. Born in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, he served in the Signal Corps in World War II, then completed his education in 1949 at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He married Marjorie Freeman in 1948 and the growing family were always a very integral part of the various towns where “Webb” (as his family and most friends knew him) and Marj resided, including but not limited to, South Porcupine, Invermere, Tungsten, Ashcroft and finally New Denver, British Columbia. A resident of the Slocan Valley from the late 1970s to the end of his life, he was widely associated with the natural beauty and wonders of the environment, and equally with the history of the region. He served on the Boards of various local societies including the Silvery Slocan and Sandon museums, and the Kohan Gardens.
Webb maintained vibrant social contacts with many people across Canada and in parts of the world where he travelled, and his home was a celebrated location for hospitality and relaxed but gracious living. Webb was beloved by the Lucerne School community and helped with canoe trips and other outings over many years.
He was celebrated as a man of learning and curiosity about many subjects, by no means limited to science. As a person of faith, Webb had equal amounts of curiosity about the “big picture,” yet was also a man familiar with the smallest details that would crop up in his many hobbies such as leathercraft, birding and gardening.
Webb Cummings is survived by five adult children, Sheila (Roger Smith), Louise, Bruce (Neva Low), Kathy (Arthur Platt) and Lorraine (Rick Unwin), and by eleven loving grandchildren. His wife Marjorie passed away in April, 1994 and his older brother Sandy died in 1996, and he is survived by his sister Margaret Lemoine.
A memorial service is planned for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 22nd, at the Lucerne School followed by refreshments. The family request that donations be considered to the Slocan Lake Garden Society (SLGS), either of the local museums, Zion United Church for the Heart’s Rest Retreat Centre, or the Kohan Garden Society.
The addresses are as follows:
• SLGS Box 331, New Denver, B.C. V0G 1S0
• Silvery Slocan Historical Society Box 301 New Denver, B.C. V0G 1S0
• Sandon Historical Society Box 52 New Denver, B.C. V0G 1S0
• Heart’s Rest Retreat Centre 6912 Highway 6 New Denver, B.C. V0G 1S0