LUCAS, PHILIP GRAINGER “PHIL” PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY AT HIS HOME IN OKOTOKS APRIL 18, 1993 AT THE AGE OF 87 YEARS.
PHIL WAS BORN APRIL 1, 1906 AT BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND HE CAME TO NANTON AND VULCAN AREAS WITH HIS PARENTS JAMES AND ELEANOR (nee: LEIGHTON) IN 1910. HE ATTENDED RICHMOND HILL AND HARVEY COUNTRY SCHOOLS. PHIL WAS A MAN OF MANY CAREERS, BUT HIS GREATEST LOVE WAS FLYING.
PHIL MARRIED ALTHEA SCHAGEL IN 1926. HE WORKED WITH HIS FATHER FARMING UNTIL 1929. HE STARTED TO TRAIN FOR A PILOT AS WELL AS AN AERO ENGINE MECHANIC IN 1929 AT CALGARY, RECEIVING LICENSES FOR BOTH IN THE THAT SAME YEAR, WHILE UNDER INSTRUCTION WITH GREAT WESTERN AIRWAYS.
SOME OF HIS EARLY FLYING EXPERIENCES INCLUDE, BARNSTORMING. IN 1932 HE AND A FRIEND JOCK PALMER FORMED WESTERN FLYING SERVICE, IN CALGARY AND TAUGHT MANY STUDENTS INCLUDING MANY CHINESE DURING THE JAPANESE-SINO WAR TO FLY. HE ALSO TAUGHT NAVIGATION OUT OF EDMONTON AS A CIVILIAN. HE ALSO HAD MANY ARCTIC FLYING EXPERIENCES WITH PEACE RIVER AIRWAYS, CANADIAN AIRWAYS IN CONJUNCTION WITH WOP MAY FLYING OVER THE BUSH TO COOPERMINE, AKLAVIK, AND MANY OTHER NORTHERN POINTS, IN VARIOUS AIRCRAFT, NAMELY BELANCUS, BEACHCRAFT, NORSEMAN, FOKKER, FAIRCHILD AND WACO’S.
HE CONTINUED UNTIL 1940 WHEN CANADIAN BECAME C.P.AIR. AND WITH CP AIR, BOEING AIRCRAFT WERE USED AND PHIL HAD THE RUN FROM EDMONTON TO FORT MCMURRAY. WHILE WORKING FOR C.P, HE WAS LOANED TO NORTHWEST STAGING COMMAND US ARMY TO HELP SURVEY THE CANOL PIPELINE FROM NORMAN WELLS TO SHELDON LAKES. IN 1944 PHIL RETURNED TO FARMING AND FLEW DURING THE WINTER MONTHS FOR ALF CAYWOOD, WHO DEVELOPED THE AVIATION DIVISION OF CROWN CORPORATION ELDORADO MINING CO. OPERATING FROM EDMONTON TO MANY NORTHERN POINTS.
PHIL HAD FLOWN FOR SIXTY YEARS, GIVING UP HIS LICENCE IN NOVEMBER OF 1989 AT THE AGE OF 84 YEARS. HE WAS HONOURED BY THE AEROSPACE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION AND CANADIAN AVIATION HALL OF FAME.
HE WAS ALSO ENGAGED IN EXTENSIVE FARMING IN THE VULCAN AREA FOR MANY YEARS. IN 1970 HE SOLD THE FARM AND BEGAN AN ARABIAN HORSE OPERATION IN THE RED DEER LAKE AREA, SOUTH OF CALGARY, WITH HIS DAUGHTER LEAH, TRAINING AND SHOWING INTERNATIONALLY, UNTIL HE RETIRED IN 1982, WHEN THEY SOLD THAT OPERATION AND MOVED TO OKOTOKS. HE WORKED CLOSELY WITH LEAH AND SHE CONTINUED ON WITH QUARTER HORSES, IN COMPETITIVE CUTTING.
PHIL WILL BE WELL REMEMBERED BY HIS MANY TRUE INTERESTING STORIES AND HUMOROUS ANECDOTES.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE QUARTER CENTURY AVIATION CLUB, VULCAN LIONS CLUB, ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION, BRANCH 21, VULCAN, THE AEROSPACE MUSEUM OF CALGARY, WESTERN CANADA AVIATION MUSEUM AND A PAST MEMBER OF THE ARABIAN HORSE ASSOCIATION.
PHIL IS SURVIVED BY TWO DAUGHTERS LESLIE (DON) WALKER OF CALGARY AND LEAH LUCAS AND HIS SON JACK BOTH OF OKOTOKS, THREE DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW AUDREY, JOYCE AND JACQUIE LUCAS, TEN GRANDCHILDREN, ELEVEN GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, A BROTHER BILL (OPAL) OF CLARESHOLM, NUMEROUS NIECES, NEPHEWS AND GRAND NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
HE WAS PREDECEASED BY HIS WIFE ALTHEA IN 1986, TWO SONS LIONEL AND LEIGHTON, SISTER PAULINE AND HIS FATHER JAMES AND MOTHER ELEANOR.
FUNERAL SERVICE THURSDAY APRIL 22, 1993 AT 1:30 P.M. AT VULCAN UNITED CHURCH WITH REV. BEVERLY HILL OFFICIATING. INTERMENT VULCAN CEMETERY.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DONATIONS TO THE VULCAN UNITED CHURCH OR THE AEROSPACE MUSEUM OF CALGARY, HANGER #10, 84 MCTAVISH PL.N.E., CALGARY T2E 7H1 WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
VULCAN FUNERAL HOME, DIRECTORS. TELEPHONE 485-2633.