Obituary of Charles-John Dagg

DAGG, Charles John a.k.a. Big Charlie & Chuck. Proud overseas veteran W.W. II Artillery C10385 Gun Sgt. 51st Anti-Tank Battery, Ottawa-Lieut C.I.C. Proud specially honoured 60+ year member Doric Masonic Lodge sponsored with Ken Lussier (dec) by Mr. Ford Pratt (dec) Department of Immigration. My beloved and ever loving husband passed away at the May Court on May 12, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. after five years of grace from pancreatic cancer. It was initially diagnosed on October 10, 2002 as terminal with 3 to 6 months then. As he has told everyone, "When I didn't die on schedule, they did a biopsy at the cancer clinic on March 30th. After waiting a month on pins and needles, we finally got the results on May 5, '03. The carcinoma diagnosis was changed to neuroendocrine, non-functional, slow progressing - go and get on with your life." In May '04, he had a blockage at the exit of the stomach which righted itself during a month in the hospital but returned with a vengeance in July '05. It required double bypass surgery in the gastro region, successfully performed by Dr. "Wonderful" Fairfull-Smith. This fall, after clear reports from monitoring tests of the pancreas and the surgery areas, things erupted and proceeded at such a fast pace that within a few weeks of extensive weight loss and a month's hospitalization, there was nothing more that could be done. This good guy braced himself for a week before he would let the doctors tell me, on 'Black Thursday', December 6th, what had happened, what would happen and the options available. It was just a matter of time. Charlie was an inspiration to everyone during this trying time, not only to his family and friends but also to the nurses and doctors who visited him to say goodbye one way or another. His marvelous sense of humour prevailed day in and day out to help all of us prepare and accept the inevitable. He was 88 on October 12, an achievement in itself, having been orphaned in his early teens and spending 68 months, almost 6 years, in the front lines overseas during the Second World War in the 51st Anti-tank Battery, 1st Division Artillery, Ottawa. War was declared September 3, 1939; he enlisted September 9th and sailed from Halifax December 13th, 1939. This was after learning little more at Landsdowne Park than how to march, but Charlie was manning big guns on the coast of England by Xmas and in France in 1940. Then it was on into Italy and Sicily during the Italian campaign, returning to England to successfully complete the oral and written tests for his commission in the field. Thence into Holland where eventually he was offered his discharge and was on the next boat home. It was August 1945. There are 4 good men from the 51st surviving: Sid Irwin, Rolly Mulvey, Ted Scott and Jack Bennett. Charlie was one soldier who actually got down on his knees to kiss the soil of Canada when he disembarked. All he could think of was to get as far away from the Army as possible. He came home unscathed and unattached and I saw him first. The government of the day offered overseas veterans a civil service job and he opted to try. Fate intervened when he was sent to the very office in National Defence where I had worked all during the war years. The attraction was mutual and we were married on February 15, 1947 in Westboro United Church on a snowy Saturday afternoon. This was after he got a permanent job in the Immigration Department, where he spent a very interesting 35 year career involved with deportation and enforcement, until December 31, 1979. He has since enjoyed 28 years of retirement, most of which wintering in Florida until 2005, when the blockage recurrment happened. Somehow or other he managed to drive home on milkshakes. We did not meet till after the war and were fortunate to enjoy 61 years of wedded bliss. Charlie was born in Schumacher but lived most of this life in Ottawa. He was a Lisgarite, university material but denied financially and overseas at 20. His older sister Margaret Green lives in Ottawa, a son Ken lives in Barrhaven with his wife, the former Deborah Bashaw, and son Thomas and a daughter Cathi. Cass lives in Tillsonburg with her husband Bill Murphy (retired CBC & TVO). Two step-daughters live in the Vancouver area, Paula and Andrea, who are proud Newfoundlanders and loving grandchildren. Charlie's younger brother Kenneth died when he was only 16 from peritonitis while C was overseas. I am the former Muriel Sadler from Westboro, the ever loving and beloved wife of a big handsome hunk, always proud to be on his arm and proud of his accomplishments. At the May Court, he had a poster-size, framed picture, taken on our 40th anniversary, up on the wall at the foot of his bed to see every day and to show off. Charlie was an avid curler at the Granite and lawn bowler at the Ottawa. He played football and basketball at Lisgar and basketball and softball in city leagues in the 40's. As for hunting and fishing he loved both sports with a great group of men who will never forget Canada's #1 fisherman, self appointed, and especially the 'frog trophy' which he was going to take with him but latterly decided to leave to John Nixon to keep as a remembrance or to carry on the tradition. The annual time of fun and laughter was shared with Big Steve and his 2 sons Steve and John, Little Steve, Kyrle and his son Blake and a grandson Kyle, Henry and his son Ian, Don Whatshisname, John MacDonald and John Nixon. These guys have been faithful during this final illness and produced a rolling album of some 200 of their favourite camp pictures for his enjoyment, which everybody had to view in its entirety. Described by one friend as the very essence of charismatic, while another young friend, Pierre Bouchard, said after visiting Charlie in the General that he had such a memorable time discussing life, love and the pursuit of happiness with him that he would not go back and spoil the memory. Charlie made and kept many, many friends over the years who will be sad with us now and remember Charlie fondly. Our very close friends, Sylvia and Jack Manion mourn with us as do their children, one of whom told Charlie recently that he had always been a class act and always would be. Jack took Charlie to the War Museum for his one and only visit last fall on his birthday, after which the four of us celebrated the 88th dining at a local restaurant without any inkling of what would happen within a few weeks. I would have liked to take this last journey with him but that was not to be. Cremation has taken place. There will not be any visitation or service. Private burial will take place later at St. Mary the Virgin Church Cemetery on the Navan Road, where the land for the church and the cemetery was donated to the community from his farm by his great-great-grandfather Dagg, and in the plot where his ancestors are buried beside the church building, even using the reverse side of the original gravestone. Such a peaceful, meaningful resting place we have visited often. Remember Charlie with love and respect. He was a V.I.P. at our place and our hero. No flowers please and thank you. Special kudos to my brother Bob Sadler who has been an angel in disguise for me as he was to both of our sisters, Winnie and Hazel. Dr. W. Saleh and Dr. Ben Robert have been friends and caregivers over the years .... MorePublished in the Ottawa Citizen on 5/17/2008