RESPECTED CENTENARIAN PASSES
Paul Singh Dhaliwal
A respected community member and pioneer of the Sikh community, peacefully passed away at his residence in Abbotsford surrounded by his family at the great age of 100 on Tuesday, January 20, 2015. Paul arrived in Canada from Chananwal, Punjab in 1932. He initially worked in lumber camps in B.C. In 1942, he established Mission Fuel Ltd., his own business to deliver sawdust and later hauled lumber and logs. On his initial journey to Canada at the age of 18 and in the steps of his father, Paul studied wrestling at the Gamma School of Wrestling in Hong Kong and while managing his business, he continued to participate in amateur wrestling until 1945 when a promoter invited him to the professional arena. From 1945 to 1947, he enjoyed his professional status both in Canada and the United States. In 1947, due to his mother’s illness he returned to India where he remained for three years and married Mohinder Kaur, whom he shared his life with. As a well-respected citizen, Paul was the recipient of the Order of Abbotsford, named the citizen of the year, recognized by the National Historic Gur Sikh Temple, and the Khalsa Diwan Society. Predeceased by Mohinder Kaur, his wife of 62 years,Paul is survived by his six children, Vicky (Chris), Baljeet, Surindar, Kamala (Jack), Paul Jr., and Robin (Jim), and seven grandchildren, Erin, Dustin, Charissa, Jenna, Michelle, Nathan, and Bradley. Paul will be remembered for his love and dedication to his family and friends, his warm and generous nature, and for a fantastic sense of humour. One of his passions was to share life experiences by sitting at the kitchen table while having dinner and talking about his novel experiences. Funeral services will be held at Fraser River Funeral Home at 2061 Riverside Road, Abbotsford, B.C. at 2:30 pm on Sunday, January 25, 2015 followed by prayer services at the Mission Gur Sikh Temple at 32086 Lougheed Highway, Mission BC at 5:00 pm.