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Barrie Orr
May 23, 1936 - February 8, 2017
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<div itemprop="description">ORR, BARRIE <br>1936-2017<br><br>It is with great sadness we announce that John Barrie Bain Orr, affectionately known as Barrie, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at the age of 80 at the Rocky View Hospital comforted by his family. <br><br>Barrie had a wonderful and interesting life, surrounded by his family who loved him very much. He is survived by his wife Julie and 4 children: Terry (Sheryl), Neil, David and Linda (Greg). His grandchildren Jasmin, Cassandra, Nicky, Katherine and Juliet have given him many laughs and great joy. He is predeceased by his brother Max and sister Marion and his mother Beth. Having survived the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Barrie's father Andrew passed away on the farm when Barrie was only a year old. <br><br>Barrie was born on the family farm in 1936 near Carberry, Manitoba. This is where Barrie spent his earlier years and where he gained his appreciation of the rural way of life. After the untimely death of Barrie's father the family relocated to the town of Carberry, Manitoba. He grew up living with his Mom Beth in Brandon while attending school but spent many summers on the farm. While at Brandon College he trained as an COTC officer, gaining interesting military knowledge. In the summer Barrie worked as a lifeguard at the local swimming pool. <br><br>He continued his education at Brandon College in Manitoba then went on to receive his Masters Degree at the University of Alberta. Barrie chose a career in Geology. His first summer job was with Manitoba Mines travelling in a canoe, studying the geology in the area. He always spoke of those times as some of his best. Later with his family, there were more outings and picnics to go look at rocks. Barrie loved geology and thus it became his lifelong career.<br><br>While he was at the UofA he joined the Zeta Psi Fraternity which offered him lively extracurricular activities while forming a group of friends for the rest of his life. It was also at UofA he met Julie. After graduation they were soon married and spent the rest of their lives together.<br><br>Barrie’s first career job was at Pan American Petroleum which later changed to Amoco Canada. He then moved to Blue Sky Petroleum. From there he went on to start his own oil company, Ricinus Resources. As a geologist his opportunities at Ricinus brought a lot of excitement and comraderie with his colleagues, particularly with the Nipisi play. <br><br>Barrie played on the Brandon College basketball team. He loved the sport and later coached his daughter’s team as she was growing up. He also supported his three sons in their various sporting activities, including judo, skateboarding and snowboarding. Barrie volunteered as a Cub Scout leader for many years. His love of sports and outdoor activities included golf, hunting, fishing and gardening. Spending time with his “poker buddies” was time well spent over the years. Barrie was also a big fan of the Calgary Stampeders. <br><br>One of Barrie's hobbies was carpentry. He designed and built the two houses in which the family lived over the years and filled them with furniture, wall hangings and patio furniture; all of which he built with his own hands. He loved gardening. On his birthdays Barrie only ever wanted a work bee from the family which involved planting the vegetable garden, picking weeds and lots of pruning.<br>Barrie always had a sense of fun and good humour. When not playing checkers with one grandchild he was doing puzzles, drawing and fun games with the others. He often gave golf cart rides in the yard to the kids.<br><br>He loved us, his Manitoba family; his in-laws, and his friends. His family will never, ever forget him. He will be missed greatly. <br><br>A Celebration of Barrie's Life will be held at Eden Brook Funeral Home (Corner of 17th Avenue SW & Lower Springbank Rd.) on Saturday, February 18th, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.<br><br>For those wishing to make memorial donations in Barrie's memory please forward directly to the Autism Calgary Association (www.autismcalgary.com/donate/).<br></div>