True and Fascinating Canadian History
Vet of the Month: July, 2018
Reg.#23678, Sergeant Blaine Wardlow Price
RCMP Vets. Ottawa, ON
I lost a wonderful friend and a close Troop Mate recently. Retired Sergeant Blaine Price suffered a heart attack. He died on April 14th, 2018 with Phyllis at his side at their home in Riverbank, NB. Blaine's heart may have been weak -- it was also larger than our home province of New Brunswick because it was filled with love and generosity for his family and friends.
Blaine and I joined the Force together in Fredericton, NB on August 20th, 1964. We were tight friends throughout Basic Training at 'Depot' and after Pass Out, Blaine invited me to travel with him to our first postings out West. Blaine had purchased a used car at 'Depot' -- we drove through the Rockies together -- we were two inexperienced explorers from New Brunswick -- our breaths were taken away by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains -- their colour and their glory -- we met unexpected rock slides and several detours on the Trans Canada. The trip was all new for two fresh, young RCMP recruits born and raised in New Brunswick.
Part way through our trip, we reached Kamloops, BC one evening in early May, 1965. It was about 7PM. Blaine and I decided to stop at the Detachment to introduce ourselves. The RCMP members invited us into the single men's quarters -- as it turned out, they were watching the final hockey game of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
We had only sat down one minute when a call came in about a serious car accident at the base of a hill not far from the Detachment. Led by the on-duty RCMP, Blaine jumped into one police cruiser and I jumped into another. The accident turned out to be a fatality. Blaine and I helped the RCMP with photos and by taking measurements of the crash scene. Blaine and I had only left 'Depot' a few days earlier, but at the accident scene we realized that our police careers were well underway. Recollections of our first traffic fatality in 1965 never left us.
Blaine dropped me off in Burnaby and he went on to Millardville. Our friendship continued on Vancouver's Lower Mainland. We often met while we worked the same shift. Blaine was always my protector much like a big brother. He asked me to be his Best Man when he married Phyllis in Surrey, BC.
Blaine was a true and trusted police officer -- the RCMP was in his blood. His career was exceptional and he was promoted early and often. Throughout the 1970's he volunteered for the most difficult of transfers to gain more experience -- for many years he and Phyllis were posted across Canada's North with their young family, and later in his career he and Phyllis landed back in New Brunswick.
Blaine's career in the RCMP had progressed very favourably. After seventeen years in the RCMP, Blaine received an unexpected call from Mr. Jim Irving of Saint John, NB. No doubt, the Irving's had heard of Blaine's excellent reputation -- he was honest, hard working, fair to his subordinates and he had a solid ethical base. These were the true attributes upon which the Irving's had built their world wide holdings. I was not surprised when Blaine told me that the Irving's wanted him on their team. The move from the RCMP to the Irving's was an honour for Blaine as well as a sizable promotion.
Mr. Irving wanted Blaine to work directly for him. Blaine was offered the position as Director of Irving's Forestry Division -- thus Blaine went on to another career all within the Province of New Brunswick. Blaine said he was surprised at the offer from the Irving's but he was happy because the new job gave him a full opportunity to travel the entire province and to work out of doors. Years later, after a long and successful career with the Irving's, Blaine retired once again.
In recent years Blaine and I kept in touch over the phone. One winter day about two years ago, Blaine called to tell me a short story about a female recruit whom he had recently met near Sussex, NB. Blaine said he had been working in the forests near his home when his friend suddenly died of a heart attack. He called the RCMP Detachment, and a young French Canadian female recruit responded to the call. Blaine said the RCMP constable was very nervous because she said she had never seen a dead person.
Realizing the recruit's discomfort around death, Blaine took the recruit to the scene and patiently instructed her about investigational protocols; begin with one's notebook, call the coroner, call an ambulance, look for ID on the deceased, identify the deceased, inspect the scene, take photos, take statements, eventually notify the next of kin etc. I could tell Blaine was still 'on duty'. He enjoyed helping the recruit with her first sudden death investigation just like he had helped hundreds of other recruits during his long and exciting career. Blaine would have joined the RCMP again if he had only been able to turn back the clock.
Blaine had hundreds of stories to tell, and his memory was exact and detailed. He was extremely proud of being a member of the RCMP, and his children spoke about how Blaine's chest swelled with pride when he dressed in his Red Serge and Stetson.
Long distances made it difficult for Blaine and me to see each other on a frequent basis but we wereable to meet for lunch about once every summer while I was visiting family in the Fredericton area.
Mark, one of Blaine and Phyllis' sons gave the eulogy when family and friends gathered at The Church of the Ascension In Apohaqui, NB. It was a loving eulogy and Mark had given it a lot of thought. Speaking of their father whom they loved, Mark said, "Dad was a wonderful husband, provider and inspiration. He was always first and foremost a family man. He adored his family, and he especially loved spending time with his grandchildren whom he would always say were the best of the best..."
Everything that Blaine did in life seemed to touch on his family; he was their counsellor, he loved to spend time in the forests of NB with their children, and Mark also recalled how Blaine was the Coach for their minor hockey team. Mark said, "As a coach, not only did he teach his sons but he also taughtother players about life values such as hard work, commitment, dedication and giving 100%. He alsotaught us how to win but more importantly how to pick ourselves up after a loss and then carry on."
Blaine left his wife Phyllis and their three sons Brock, Mark and Kirk as well as their spouses and their children. They will miss their very special Dad.
And I too will always miss my friend -- one of a lifetime.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy,
July 23, 2018
