Forever Remembered as Very Complicated
It is with shock and sadness that the family of Joe (Bernard Joseph) Bulger announce his passing in February of this year.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta on March 27, 1960, Joe was the third child of Kay and Bernie Bulger. In 1964, the family moved to Bramalea, Ontario where Joe attended elementary school. He played lacrosse, which he enjoyed and continued to play when the family returned to live in Edmonton in 1972. Here he played lacrosse as a goalie and later joined his father and sister Nancy refereeing the game.
Joe played football in high school, along with his cousin, Laurence, who he was also pals with. He left high school after grade 10 and moved away from home, supporting himself with 3 jobs – construction, cook, and delivering pizza. Throughout his life, Joe always preferred working outside.
Over the years, he went to work for Reimer Express where he started as a dock worker, then lead hand and union representative. While at Reimer, he obtained his Class 1 licence and air brake ticket, and drove truck for several years before ending up as a dispatcher. From there, he went to work driving cement truck for Rolling Mix for several years. He went on to drive tractor trailer for Canadian Tire, and then cement truck for Rulam until he decided to retire at age 62.
Joe and Karen enjoyed travelling and took trips to Hawaii and to Las Vegas, as well as many camping trips in their little travel trailer.
Throughout his life, Joe loved dogs, and had many dogs. At one point, Karen and Joe had 4 dogs – Sugar, Spice, Evie and Lilly.
I n 2024, Joe went back to work part time as a bus driver, however, serious health issues forced him to retire shortly before his death.
Joe is survived by his wife, Karen Summers, his mother Kay Bulger, and siblings, Susan, Nancy, Chris (Marion), Kevin (Denise), and Brian (Fran), as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his niece Amberly Rose Sauve and his father, Bernard Michael Bulger.
To honour his wishes, no funeral will be held.
If you wish, memorial donations can be made to your local animal shelter.