BRIERS - Oliver Burnard Briers passed away peacefully on October 13, 2011 at the Cypress Lodge in Maple Creek, SK. He was 85 years old. A memorial service was held at St. Andrews Anglican Church in Tompkins, SK on Thursday, October 20th with Reverend Eleanor Rockabar officiating. The honorary pallbearers were all those who shared in Oliver’s life. The Tompkins Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion formed the Honour Guard. Internment took place at the Tompkins cemetery. Oliver Burnard Briers was born in Lethbridge, AB on August 12, 1926. As a young boy, he was a member of the Boy Scouts and he enjoyed trips to Tompkins to visit his cousins. In early 1945 he enlisted in the Army. He was a truck driver and a prison guard at the Medicine Hat Prisoner of War camp. He was demobilized in 1947 and moved with his parents to a farm north of Tompkins where he farmed with his father until the farm was sold in 1980. He and his Dad moved to Tompkins. Oliver was a loyal member of the St. Andrews Anglican Church and especially enjoyed singing in the choir. He also took an active interest in the Masonic Lodge and the Shrine. Oliver helped drive his friends to medical appointments and was always available to help anyone who needed a helping hand. In the late 1990’s Oliver decided to withdraw from the church, the Lodge and the Shrine. He spent most of the remainder of his life driving his old car, smoking cigarettes and counting traffic driving by on the highway. Due to declining health he moved from his house to the Marshview Manor in Tompkins and then in October 2010 he moved to the Cypress Lodge in Maple Creek where he lived until his passing. Oliver had a very sharp wit which at times was quite intense and bridged on sarcasm. The staff at the Cypress Lodge never saw that side of Oliver’s character and found him to be a kind and gentle man. He will be missed by family and friends. Oliver is survived by his sister Doreen Ashby, Blenheim, ON; niece Terry (Leo) Priebe,Thamesville, ON; great niece Shelley Landry, London, ON; and numerous cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his mother Grace in 1978, his father Frank in 1984 and his sister Anne Dixon in 2005. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Binkley’s Funeral Home in Maple Creek, SK. Anyone wishing to make a memorial donation may donate to the Tompkins Cemetery Fund or a charity of their choice.