Barton T. Bourne

Barton Thomas Bourne (Dec 13, 1941- Oct 9, 2024) (Kensington) passed peacefully at Summerset Manor on October 9, 2024.

Born on December 13, 1941 in Montreal to Albert George and Marion (Graham) Bourne. He is survived by his wife and best friend Patricia (Smith), his son Brett Evan (Winnipeg), son Darryl Lee, daughter-in-law Julianna, grandchildren Kellen and Piper (Calgary), and sister-in-law Joyce (Toronto), niece Crystal and nephew Bradley. Predeceased by his big brother Bill.

Resting at the Davison Funeral Home Kensington. No visitation by request. A public celebration of Bart’s life will occur in the spring of 2025. If so desired, memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Society Prince Edward Island would be appreciated.

Bart grew up in Lachine, PQ where many experiences with his pals became lasting memories and they, lifelong friends. After graduating from Lachine High School, Bart attended Mount Allison University and Sir George Williams College in Montreal where he graduated with a BA degree in 1966.

From childhood Bart had an obsession with airplanes, which became a step toward a career when he joined The Royal Canadian Air Force in 1967. When he was chosen for, and completed Pilot Training, his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot was realized. Through his Airforce career Bart flew many different aircraft for squadrons in Trenton, Gimli, Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie, and Summerside. He also had a 6-month tour of duty with the UN Peace Keeping Force in Ismailia, Egypt. As much as Bart loved flying, he especially loved his time as flight instructor, teaching the younger pilots, coaching them through problems toward success.

Throughout his life Bart demonstrated an intense curiosity about how things work. From an early age he was inventing and building things, repurposing parts from discarded objects. As he grew, so too did his creations. He went from rebuilding cars, often adding improvements, to building displays and exhibits that showcased subjects he found fascinating. Bart’s main incentive was to share really neat information in a simple understandable way. He had a passion for instilling a sense of curiosity in people, especially children.

Following his military tour in Egypt, he built a full-size walk-through reproduction of King Tut’s Tomb, complete with wall paintings and artifacts, and the history of the find. This attraction was first displayed in Toronto at the same time that the real King Tut gold items were being displayed at the ROM. While unspeakably beautiful, Bart felt the real objects would be better appreciated by knowing the details of the discovery of the tomb. When Bart moved to Summerside this exhibit came with him, eventually becoming a popular attraction in Cavendish.

Bart’s fame for building big things travelled with him to CFB Summerside. On top of his official duties, he was asked by his superiors to create a CFB Summerside float for the Lobster Carnival parade. This resulted in the giant lobster float that appeared in that parade for several years. Bart’s lobster can still be seen where he later installed it in his mini golf course in Cavendish. A second unofficial request was to create a character and a skit as part of a competition between squadrons. From this effort the "Spudster" (part potato and part lobster) was born. Spudster retired to Alberton where he served as town mascot.

With his interest in flying, Bart followed the US space program from its inception. When the Space Shuttle became the vehicle to launch mankind into space and return them with vehicle home, Bart formed the idea of building a replica shuttle to give the public a "hands on" astronaut’s experience of living and working on the shuttle. The shuttle in Stanley Bridge also housed exhibits on space and hands-on exhibits, demonstrating in an understandable entertaining way, laws of science. Bart’s shuttle became the centerpiece of The Great Island Science & Adventure Park, which also included the Planetarium, Jurassic Bart’s Dinosaur Museum, the Archaeological Dig, and outdoor participatory games that inspired logical thinking in an environment of pure fun. Summer programs such as Space Camps, Rocket Launches and Science Camps were run in the park. The Park also conducted outreach programs to the schools. Everything in the Park came out of Bart’s genius for creating a means to inspire. His favorite customer comment was "At last, an intelligent attraction for kids" He loved a young boy telling him excitedly, "You are the Jim Henson of theme parks!" He felt especially humbled when a respected artist said of him, "He is a true artist. His medium is "museum."

Bart’s interest in the military included collecting objects which he considered to be important pieces of history. His collection of four WW2 Bolingbroke relic aircraft, donated to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum will result in a completed aircraft. Among other donations to museums are 2 Bren Gun Carriers, a German WW1 cannon, aircraft training simulators, and numerous smaller objects. Bart had a very deep appreciation for those who served in the past and the need to preserve their stories.

Bart struggled with Dementia for the last years of his life. He never hid his disease, freely telling people when the diagnosis was made. Eventually he moved to long term care for his safety, first to Maplewood Manor and then to Summerset. We are grateful to both facilities for the excellent care he received by the caring staff. We are also grateful to Dr Carmichael and staff, David Driscoll and the Homecare/Coach Program, and all the other kind and caring nurses and care givers who helped Bart. We are also grateful to those friends and family who visited Bart. Finally, a tremendous thanks the Caregiver support groups available through the Alzheimer’s Society and UPEI.

As in every case of Dementia/Alzheimer’s, the slow deterioration of a mind is tragic. What becomes more tragic is how often a patient’s family members and friends fall away in a time when they are needed most. People feel uncomfortable, don’t know what to say, cannot face what is happening, etc. What is not understood is that these patients, while they may not be the same person they once were, can still experience moments of joy by a happy face, by caring touch, by a kind voice, whether recognized or not. These snippets of joy strung together can make a difference to that patient’s emotional well-being that can last for a while, even after the visit is forgotten. This is the very least that we owe loved ones when they are stricken. In lieu of flowers, we request that every person reading this who has or will have loved ones with dementia/Alzheimer’s, reach beyond their own feelings to make that effort to visit that loved one. They deserve the dignity of not being ignored. They deserve a gentler release from this life.

 

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