September 12, 1940 - February 21, 2011 - Byron went to be with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on February 21, 2011, after a hard-fought battle with stomach cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Barb, Hinton, AB; daughter Sue (Paul) Nakanishi and their daughters Heather and Laura, North Bay, ON; son Doug (Shelley) Meredith and their sons Tim, Ryan, and Chris, Moncton, NB; son Steve (Deanne) Meredith and their daughters Robyn, Jillian and Kylie, Stillwater Lake, NS; daughter Sharon Meredith (Tim Trahan) and their son Silas, Hinton, AB; brother Bill (Betty) Meredith, Mahone Bay, NS; father-in-law Larry Foster, Saint John, NB; brothers-in-law Wayne Foster, Middle LaHave, NS; Brian (Judy) Foster, Saint John, NB; Gary (Pauline) Foster, Saint John, NB; Mark (Kathleen) Foster, Rothesay, NB; a number of aunts and uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his mother, Joyce Meredith, in 2006, and his father, Wayne Meredith, in 2010. Born and brought up in Dartmouth, NS, Byron was for many years a Boy Scout, and received two of Scouting’s highest awards, Queen’s Scout and Bushman’s Thong. He moved to Moncton, NB in 1956, obtained his Civil Engineering degree from UNB Fredericton in 1961, and married Barbara Groves in 1962. His working career, begun at Irving Pulp and Paper in Saint John, NB, took him to St.-Anne Nackawic Pulp in Nackawic, NB in 1969. Besides being involved in raising his four children, and having the distinction of becoming the first mayor of the new community, he was active in the Nackawic Baptist Church, and served on the local school board. During this time he took part in local running and canoe races, and began his annual tradition of participating in the Terry Fox Run. In 1991 Byron and Barb moved to Alberta, where Byron was employed first with Alberta-Pacific in Edmonton and Athabasca, and then in 1993 with Weldwood in Hinton. Early retirement in 2000 was followed by contract positions at Skeena Pulp in Prince Rupert, BC in 2001, and Colt Engineering in Edmonton, AB from 2005 to 2008. Retirement years allowed more time for travel and favourite activities like camping with Barb, hunting, fishing, and golfing with good friends. Byron loved the mountains, and especially enjoyed canoeing, hiking, and cross-country skiing in Jasper National Park. He was a committed Christian and an active member of Gateway Community Church, where he served in various capacities. He was a former president of the Hinton Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Hinton Search and Rescue Board. His family, spread across the country, was very important to him, and he especially loved the time spent with his grandchildren. Annual family reunions were a highlight of each year, when many pictures were taken and many memories stored up. Byron was passionate about life, gave every task his best effort, and maintained his positive outlook and sense of humour until the end. He will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered as a caring and fun-loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial service will be held at Gateway Community Church, Hinton, AB on Sunday, February 27th at 2:00 p.m., Pastor John Klassen officiating. A further memorial service will be held at Nackawic Baptist Church, Nackawic, NB, at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, the Terry Fox Foundation, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.