Former mayor of Tumbler Ridge passes away at 85

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — Clayton Iles, former mayor of Tumbler Ridge, passed away in a Grande Prairie Regional Hospital on October 25th.

According to the Bear Creek Funeral Home, Iles was born and raised in Manitoba on April 7th, 1938.

Iles and his wife, Marj Parfit, lived in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and B.C. and raised five children in Sexsmith before moving to Tumbler Ridge. 

Parfit passed in 1995.

He married Ferne Emberley in 1999, the same year he was elected as mayor, according to the Bear Creek Funeral Home.

In 2002, he was reelected to serve a second term and was the mayor when news of the Quintette Coal mine was announced. 

According to the District of Tumbler Ridge, Iles’s determination saw mandates accomplished, resulting in Tumbler Ridge existing as it is now.

In honour of his contributions, Founders Street was renamed Iles Way in October 2014.

His obituary on the Bear Creek Funeral Home website says he and Emberley moved to Grande Prairie in 2018.

Iles was a competitive hockey player, coached hockey teams and enjoyed the game with his family. He also loved baseball, golf, and spending time with his family and friends.

Services for Iles were held in Grande Prairie on Wednesday morning.