In Memoriam

When most of us first met Heather Barker our impression was ‘hair’ and non-stop talking. Over time, we became friends; one at a time we entered into the circle that became “the Village”. The relationship between Heather, her Village and the Shurb family was not confined to dog shows; Heather had a lot of friends, male and female, but NEVER a “special” one.

July 1999, Carla remembers : “I recall not having seen Heather around for a few weeks and asked Gerri what was up with her? Gerri’s reply surprised me…”Heather has a boyfriend”! WOW, the questions that surfaced, who is he? Have you met him? What is he like? Is he doggie? No answers to those questions for a while; Heather kept him to herself and after we did meet him we understood why.

One day at a dog show on the Mainland Carla relates that she saw Heather with a tall, slender, dark-haired man. As she drew closer to them she was immediately taken with his intensely blue eyes and easy smile. "This is Wayne,” Heather said and we all knew at once that this was the love of her life.

He was her soul-mate and complemented her in every way. He let her talk (like anyone could stop her), laughed at her jokes, agreed with her. Every time he looked at Heather it was a declaration of love. Wayne willingly gave in to the dog passion that was so much a part of Heather’s life and welcomed a host of furry kids into his life. Before long we lost Heather to the Mainland; she and Wayne were a couple, his job was on the Mainland and they did things together like fishing (one of Wayne’s passions). A long-distance romance was NOT Heather’s way.”

Time passed and suddenly an email declared that they were getting married. Carla was so excited; all she wanted to do was plan the wedding. Jo.E had the

menu set and wanted them to get married under their big tree at the front and was ready to start the guest list when Heather said “NO”

What? We even had her in a frothy dress and veil but no, dreams are dashed. Heather wanted a quiet wedding, just her and Wayne and so it was. In their slippers, sitting in their recliners, at home, with their dogs, Heather and Wayne exchanged their vows on Nov. 10, 2005. It looked as if they would spend forever together.

Heather and Wayne had changed their allegiance from heavy working dogs to a couple of Aussie Shepherds and a puffball named Cruiser. At last Heather had “THE” dog, the one she KNEW was great and for once the judges agreed. Cruiser was a Best in Show dog, a Best in Specialty Show dog, a Grand Champion. She became #1 Havanese in Canada and best of all, she was Wayne’s dog. As time and circumstances changed Cruiser also became an “alert” assistance dog that would wake Heather when Wayne needed her.

Fate and karma are cruel. A few short years after they wed Wayne was first diagnosed with a blood disorder. His battle with this began 51/2 years ago and when that struggle was almost under control and he was to go back to work, he began having strange physical symptoms. In early 2008 Heather started taking him to so many doctors we lost track. It was cancer, it wasn’t cancer, it is something but we don’t know what.

Finally, in August of 2008, a diagnosis was made: "Multiple Systems Atrophy." It carried with it a horrible legacy. Wayne’s condition would never get better; he would deteriorate - and he did.

First to walking with a cane, then a walker and finally a wheelchair! With each stage came other issues: speech became more and more difficult for Wayne until he could no longer

communicate anything except through special signals between him and Heather. He could no longer swallow and that meant a feeding tube - this for the man who LOVED Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Through it all Heather remained his soul-mate. She learned how to feed him, she learned how to take him to the bathroom, she learned how to transfer him from a wheelchair to a bed, a chair, into a motor home, etc.) and she did it with grace and determination. Heather learned how to do all the things a newly-wed shouldn’t have to learn for years and years and although her good humour would falter from time to time, she didn’t give up.

Finally, Wayne had to go into hospital and it was a trip from which he wouldn’t return. While in hospital Wayne suffered a “staff error” that overwhelmed his already frail body and he couldn’t recover from it. It is with sorrow that we finally bid farewell to Wayne Cloran, a man with twinkling blue eyes and a smile as bright as sunlight on water, and Heather’s love.

All that the village can do now is to continue to support Heather, give her the room to heal and help her through all of the stages of grieving with understanding and love.

At the request of the family, it is respectfully requested that no flowers be sent.  At Wayne’s request, there will be no service.  Please contact Bev Dorma at mistytrails@uniserve.com for donations towards a Memorial Trophy in Wayne’s memory.  You can also go directly to PayPal to make a donation to the Trophy Fund if you prefer. Thank you for your understanding.