J. Pat Hume passed peacefully away with family at his side April 7, 2015.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at the Fortine Community Church. Internment will follow at the Fortine Cemetery.
Pat was born Nov. 29, 1915, in Colinton, Alberta, to Fredrick and Susie Hume.
He enlisted into the United States Army Air Corps as a Canadian in November 1942 and was discharged June 1945. He flew 66 sorties as a gunner in an A-20 while stationed in France during World War II. Medals he received while in the military are the Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Battle Stars, Normandy, Germany, and Northern France Campaigns, and a World War II Victory Medal.
Pat became a U.S. citizen after getting out of the service. He recently was awarded France's highest military decoration, the Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur (The National Order of the Legion of Honour.)
He grew-up in logging camps. He was a logger during his younger years, then worked as a mechanic. He taught hunter's safety and first aid, was involved in the fire department, and active in the VFW and Masons. Pat was an elk rancher and loved the outdoors.
He was married to Helen Riehl on June 6, 1942.
Pat is survived by his sister, Julia Conrad; children, Karon Stiles, Darrell Hume, Colleen and Mike Clark, and Ron and Sue Hume; grandchildren, Patti, Charlene, Doug, Joe, Matt, Josh, Heather, Nathan and Darik; and great-grandchildren, David, Justin, Jessica, Alissa, Colin, Kayla, Jaxon, Jazail, Douglas, Tessa, Cazden, Jarrod, Silas, Riley, Hunter, Wiatt and Paityn.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen; parents, Fred and Susie; brothers, Russell, James, Walt, Bill, Ed, Frank and Bob; sisters, Margaret, Jane and May; and grandson Dave.