Obituary of Byron William Phalen/ Port Morien, Sydney River

Byron William Phalen Port Morien / Sydney River Byron William Phalen, age 88, passed away peacefully into the arms of his heavenly Father on Sunday, Dec. 13th, 2020 at Harbourstone Enhanced Care, Sydney River. Born in Port Morien on October 19th, 1932, he was the son of the late William H. and Blanche (Bray) Phalen. Byron lived in Port Morien during his childhood and most of his adult life. However, he has resided on Spanish Bay at Harbourstone since 2003. He will be dearly missed by his sister, Carmel Higdon, Balls Creek as well as his sister-in-law, Ida Phalen and his many nieces and nephews and their families. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his brothers, Arthur Floyd and Patrick, his sister, Dolores Penman, his brothers-in-law, Jim Penman and Stuart Higdon, and his sister-in-law, Marilyn. Byron was a very religious person throughout his life having been an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Port Morien. At Harbourstone, he attended the recitation of the Rosary and participated in Mass regularly. He watched the daily Mass on TV and recited the Rosary throughout the day. He always had a pair of prayer beads in his hand or his pocket. In his younger years, Byron worked at Beaver Mine and Four Star Mine in Broughton. Byron was a kind and gentle man who was appreciative of anything anyone would do for him. He was very social and enjoyed going to dances over the years and participating in the entertainment offered at Harbourstone. He loved listening to music both live and on CDs. He took great pride in taking pictures and had numerous photos displayed in his room: many were old family photos indicative of remembrances of good times from the past. Others were more recent of him with staff and visitors to Harbourstone. A heartfelt thank you to all the doctors who cared for him and to the staff at Harbourstone and especially those on Spanish Bay for all the care, love, and attention you bestowed on Byron over the years. You truly became his second family and for that we will be forever grateful. A private family funeral will be held followed by interment in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Black Brook with Fr. Norman MacPhee presiding. On line condolences to the family can be expressed at: www.vjmcgillivray.ca Funeral arrangements entrusted to V.J. McGillivray Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 16 Reserve Street, Glace Bay.