Obituary of Calvin Joseph Bechard

BECHARD, Calvin Joseph Treffly- Age 81, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, a husband, and best friend of Valerie (Mombourquette) Bechard for nearly 57 years, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on March 11, 2021. He was a son of the late Alvin and Rose Bechard. Cal grew up in Wallaceburg, Ontario but left at the age of 17 to join the Royal Canadian Navy and was posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is where he would eventually meet Valerie, get married, raise a wonderful family and spend the rest of his life. He considered Halifax to be his true home. He was proud to have been on Canada's last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure, when it was commissioned in Ireland in 1957 and of the 38 years he spent serving in the Canadian military. His time and adventures there fostered his love of travel and inspired the vacations that he and Valerie took later. They shared cruises in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and in Europe with a close group of friends that enjoyed travelling as much as they did. Cal's retirement from the Navy gave him time to focus on a few of his other passions, hiking and his grandkids. Cal and Valerie joined the Dartmouth Volksmarch Club and began to take part in local hikes at first. This eventually led them to travel throughout North America, hiking in all 50 states in the US, all 10 Canadian provinces, and completing well over 20,000 km. They also ventured to Europe and hiked in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Scotland and Belgium. He was immensely proud of the fact that they completed England’s famous “Coast-to-Coast” walk when he was almost 70 years old. The other thing that retirement brought was time to spend with his grandkids. They became one of his top priorities, rarely missing a hockey game, swimming lesson or dance recital. His patience and affection with them was heartwarming to see and his sense of humor has led to many a ‘Papa’ story, to be told and retold at frequent family gatherings. He was also an avid woodworker and built cribs, toys, and tables for the grandkids. Cal and Valerie joined the Bedford Lawn Bowls Club and approached it with the same passion they showed for hiking. He started by just casually playing on several teams but eventually became president of the club, managed the grounds-keeping and coached new-comers to the sport. He won numerous Nova Scotia triples championships and represented Nova Scotia in the Canadian Lawn Bowls championships. Cal also umpired at the national level and volunteered in many other roles, winning the Bedford Volunteer Award in 2011. Besides his wife Valerie, Calvin is survived by sons Kevin (Kathryn) Bechard and Todd (Joanne) Bechard; daughter, Lisa (Mike) Butler; his grandchildren, Tyler, Bailey, Nicholas, Rebecca, Adam, Alex, and Annalise; as well as numerous other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his brothers, Bernard, and Pat Bechard; sister, Catherine (Pawson) Bechard. Arrangements and cremation have been entrusted to T.J. Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, 71 McQuade Lake Crescent, Halifax. In keeping with Cal’s wishes a celebration of Calvin’s life will be held at a later date. The family wishes to thank all of those who cared for Calvin during his illness, especially the Palliative Care team and the staff at the QEII hospital. Memorial contributions may be made in Cal’s name to Hospice Halifax.